Some New Additions to the Nelson Cruz PC

First, a big thanks to Guntha from Ballcards in the Basement and Tony L. from Off Hiatus Baseball Cards for joining my 2014 Gypsy Queen half-case break! We only need 4 more, so sign up now!
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This week has seen some a few additions to my Nelson Cruz PC, all of which I am a big fan of. The first came to me via a trade with Andrew of Need More Cardboard:

This is my first Allen & Ginter Cruz auto - and I love it. There is just something about these mini framed autos that I really enjoy. Thanks, Andrew!

The next two pieces I acquired via eBay.

This is a mini relic from 2011 Topps Lineage. I'll be honest - the yellow and brown background is something I think only a hardcore Padres fan would enjoy. However, I do like the card as a whole.

The second piece comes from 2013 Topps Update:

When I first saw these relic cards, I fell in love with them. Nothing has changed. This is probably my favorite relic card in my collection, with the exception of Triple Threads relics.

So there it is, a quick update for the day.

And hey, I didn't even complain once!

Okay, Topps...We're Cool Now

As you may remember, I had a post a couple weeks ago complaining (I've been doing a lot of that lately) about a replacement for a redemption that I was waiting for. To refresh your memory, I was waiting on this:

A 2013 Tier 1 Nelson Cruz Crowd Pleaser Copper Rose parallel numbered to 25. The replacement I received was this:

A 2012 Bowman Draft Chrome refractor auto of Trevor Story, who I've never heard of. After 20 minutes on the phone arguing that this wasn't an equal card to the Cruz card, Topps finally relented and asked me to send the card back so they could send a replacement. I did as they asked, including a little note asking that they try to send me a Ranger or a Nat to replace it with.

Today, I received the correct replacement:

HOLY CRAP!!! Maybe I'm a bit biased, but could I have received a better replacement?!?! Heck no!!! Minor league power house Joey Gallo! The kid led all of minor league ball with 40 bombs last year! He's a bit prone to strike out right now, but he will learn to adjust. I really think he will replace Adrian Beltre at third when Beltre moves on.

So, Topps....we're good now. I appreciate it!

The Day Blowout Cards Lost My Business

Today has been the day from hell. On top of all the crap going on at my job, I had the misfortune of dealing with a moderator on blowout cards' forum.

As many of you know, I'm hosting a half-case break for 2014 Gypsy Queen when it launches in April. I still have six slots open. Since I was planning on buying the cards from Blowout, I decided to jump on the forum and ask if anyone was interested in joining. I made sure not to link back to my blog because I didn't want to come across as trying to promote the blog or appear as though I was trying to make a profit. I posted the thread and eagerly awaited responses.

Then I received a private message from the blowout administrator. He or she told me that I was "spamming" the forum for an off-site break and demanded I stop.

Maybe it's the shitty day I'm having, maybe it's just that I don't appreciate being talked to that way. Regardless, I closed my account on the forum, wrote to the people at Blowout to let them know that I no longer needed my near-$500 order for Gypsy Queen and told them I would take my business elsewhere. I'll never do business with them again.

Anyway, now that I've been able to vent that, I feel great!

2014 Turkey Red Box Break

As I mentioned last week, I jumped in and bought a box of 2014 Topps Turkey Red. Each box came with 10 base cards and one autograph card. Let's take a look at what I got.

Here are the visual highlights. First, my one guaranteed auto:

Matt Davidson...I've never heard of the guy. The card is cool, but, as with many signatures, the autograph isn't legible and looks more like a bunch of squiggly lines. The card is numbered 379 of 499.

The highlight (and two lowlights) of the base cards were:

Adrian Beltre, my only Ranger pull of the box. Not a bad photo, definitely different than normal. And that is my one highlight of the box.

Oh, Joey Votto, why are you trying to look like you are contemplating the mysteries of the universe? Hitting a baseball doesn't take much thought - I've even had hitting coaches who preach a philosophy of not thinking at the plate - so don't try to fool me.

<Sigh>.....I don't even have words for this card. I don't like seeing Kins in a different uniform. Not one bit. and I'll leave it at that.

I'm not sure if I am going to pursue an entire set or not. I'd have to buy the remaining cards on a secondary market, and that means they could get expensive. I'll think about it, and perhaps some of these will end up on my trade bait page.

Thanks for reading!

Chicks Aren't The Only Ones That Dig The Longball

I've spent a combined 19 hours on the road the past three days. That has left a lot of time for me to think about my collection and my collecting habits. I always tell myself that I'm a purist, that I would be considered a "collector's collector." But then I think about who I am actively collecting, and I realized something - I'm in love with the longball.

Just look at the two PC's that I work on most often - Nelson Cruz and Bryce Harper. Cruz is built like a brick sh*thouse (as my dad would say), and when he gets into a pitch, that ball usually lands somewhere far, far away. Harper is no different - the kid was hitting balls to the back of Tropicana Field when he was still in high school, and even hit one 600+ feet over a highway while playing a Legion game.

So, I'm in love with the longball. I admit it. But I'm not alone. This is why hitters who can't play a lick of defense (ahem, Miguel Cabrera) get major paydays and MVP awards. It's the same reason why Harper will be taken in the first round every single day over at FanDuel fantasy baseball. Dudes love the longball, too. We just don't wear the t-shirt saying so.

BUT WAIT - it isn't just the longball. dudes love the heater, the single-finger, the fastball. My pitcher PC's are a prime example: Yu Darvish (97+ mph) and Jordan Zimmermann (98+ mph). Granted, I love Zimmermann as much for the knee-high socks (I think every player should wear the knee-highs) as I do his fastball, but let's look at the names we talk most about in pitching: Kershaw, Darvish, Verlander, etc.: they all throw in the upper-90's. It's the pitching equivalent of a homerun. I mean, Koji Uehara was probably the single most important pitcher on the Red Sox staff, but we don't talk about that.

I'm not saying that we don't collect players that don't fall into one of these categories. I'm just saying that, for me at least, I don't give enough love to players who don't hit 30 homers a year or throw at or near 100 miles per hour.

That being said, I need suggestions on a new PC for a player that doesn't fit into one of these categories. I want someone that played a long time, preferably with only one or two teams, that had just "average" numbers.

Any suggestions?

Mailday!!!

FINALLY...I'm out of the hotel and back home. I was super excited to get home and check my mail...

Not because I had this waiting for me:

A base 2013 Triple Threads Jordan Zimmermann Jumbo Unity Relic. It's nice, but not what I was excited for.

And I wasn't excited for this:

2014 Topps Jordan Zimmermann Trajectory relic. It's also nice, but still not what I was excited for.

This is what I was excited for:

And I'll leave you with that. Because let's face it, you aren't even reading anymore. You're just drooling. And I don't blame you.

So, I'm Stuck In A Hotel...

Sometimes, work requires me to travel and stay overnight. Usually, I get to stay overnight in towns that I actually enjoy. This time, I am not so lucky. I'm in Wichita Falls, Texas, and I am bored to death. I have no cards to open. I have nothing new to share.

Except one thing.

This morning, Topps was kind enough to send me an e-mail to let me know that 2014 Turkey Red Baseball was available online for $20 a box. I've seen some cards from the last Turkey Red run (2012, I believe). I like the design, so I jumped.

Then, when looking over the checklist, I noticed that some boxes are already listed on eBay for $50-$60. Who the hell would actually pay that when they can just go to the Topps website and get a box for $20? Oh well, not my concern I suppose.

Also in news for the day, I was approached by a company who wanted to advertise their website on my blog (a single post, no more). They offered $40 for a one-time mention. I haven't given them an answer, I've been trying to determine if it would be detrimental to the blog to do so. Would you stop reading if you felt like I was trying to peddle a company's product via a paid endorsement?

I thank you in advance for your input. (And I apologize for the random, rambling nature of this post)

1995 Topps Texas Rangers Team Set

13 Kenny Rogers
70 Juan Gonzalez
99 Cris Carpenter
127 Dan Smith
150 Chris James
184 Hector Fajardo
222 Jack Armstrong
254 Matt Whiteside
279 Rusty Greer
300 Jose Canseco
336 Benji Gil
365 Dean Palmer
403 Darren Oliver
436 Roger Pavlik
456 Kevin Brown
543 Ivan Rodriguez
558 Will Clark
575 Kevin Brown
591 Jeff Frye
643 J Shave - T Lowery

1982 Texas Rangers Team Set

16 Steve Comer
36 Rangers TL Al Oliver & Doc Medich
50 Buddy Bell
78 George Medich
103 Bob Lacey
112 Billy Sample
149 Pat Putnam
177 John Ellis
212 Mario Mendoza
239 Jon Matlack
272 Bump Wills
298 Danny Darwin
335 Jim Sundberg
402 Bill Stein
418 Rangers Rookies John Butcher Bobby Johnson
443 Mark Wagner
463 Jim Kern
496 Johnny Grubb
527 John Henry Johnson
567 Bob Babcock
590 Al Oliver
591 Al Oliver SA
624 Fergie Jenkins
657 Tom Poquette
688 Leon Roberts
704 Mickey Rivers
705 Mickey Rivers SA
718 Charlie Hough
751 Rick Honeycutt

1985 Topps Texas Rangers Team Set

29 Odell Jones
55 Frank Tanana
76 Alan Bannister
102 Tommy Dunbar
149 Dickie Noles
171 Bill Stein
196 Pete O'Brien
227 Danny Darwin
247 Wayne Tolleson
288 Jeff Kunkel
313 Dave Schmidt
337 Billy Sample
371 Mickey Rivers
414 Gary Ward
443 George Wright
464 Mike Mason
496 Donnie Scott
519 Doug Rader MG
548 Larry Parrish
571 Charlie Hough
594 Curt Wilkerson
621 Marvis Foley
648 Bob Jones
678 Joey McLaughlin
723 Dave Stewart
745 Buddy Bell

777 Ned Yost

1981 Topps Texas Rangers Team Set

22 Danny Darwin
41 Ranger Rookies Bob Babcock John Butcher
70 Al Oliver
80 Rusty Staub
95 Jim Sundberg
145 Mickey Rivers
158 Fergie Jenkins
173 Bump Wills
197 Jim Kern
216 John Henry Johnson
245 Ed Figueroa
264 Jim Norris
283 Billy Sample
305 Ken Clay
339 John Ellis
371 Charlie Hough
431 Dave Roberts
464 Adrian Devine
475 Buddy Bell
498 Pat Putnam
517 Richie Zisk
545 Johnny Grubb
592 Steve Comer
656 Jon Matlack
673 Rangers Team/Mgr Don Zimmer
694 Bud Harrelson
702 George Medich

1980 Topps Texas Rangers Team Set

22 Pat Putnam
41 Pat Corrales MGR
67 Doyle Alexander
93 Dave Roberts
115 Sparky Lyle
144 Steve Comer
173 John Henry Johnson
190 Buddy Bell
213 Mike Jorgensen
224 Willie Montanez
233 LaRue Washington
260 Al Oliver
283 John Ellis
313 Johnny Grubb
336 George Medich
369 Jim Kern
390 Fergie Jenkins
441 Eric Soderholm
458 Billy Sample
473 Bump Wills
485 Mickey Rivers
498 Danny Darwin
518 Nelson Norman
530 Jim Sundberg
548 Dave Rajsich
592 Jon Matlack
620 Richie Zisk
656 Larvell Blanks
673 Future Stars - Brian Allard, Jerry Don Gleaton & Greg Mahlberg

1979 Topps Ranger Team Sets

22 Mike Jorgensen
44 Kurt Bevacqua
67 Jim Mason
94 Len Barker
120 Jim Sundberg
144 Sandy Alomar
173 John Lowenstein
198 Johnny Grubb
209 Reggie Cleveland
234 Toby Harrah
260 Richie Zisk
285 Bobby Bonds
315 Jon Matlack
336 Bobby Thompson
369 Bump Wills
391 Al Oliver
442 Doyle Alexander
463 Steve Comer
478 Juan Beniquez
499 Pat Corrales
518 Jim Umbarger
539 John Ellis
544 Fergie Jenkins
591 Mike Hargrove
620 Bert Campaneris
657 George Medich
691 Dock Ellis
713 Danny Darwin - Pat Putnam - Billy Sample

1978 Topps Texas Rangers Team Set

23 Bump Wills
44 Toby Harrah
67 Claudell Washington
92 Adrian Devine
110 Richie Zisk
131 Bert Blyleven
146 Doyle Alexander
172 Mike Hargrove
209 Dock Ellis
238 Juan Beniquez
260 Bert Campaneris
290 Willie Horton
314 Paul Lindblad
337 Tom Grieve
362 Dave May
388 Bill Fahey
438 John Ellis
462 Rogelio Moret
492 Jim Sundberg
518 Tommy Boggs
533 Sandy Alomar
548 Billy Hunter
583 George Medich
588 Jim Mason
612 Ken Henderson
634 Len Barker
659 Rangers Team
686 Gaylord Perry
725 Kurt Bevacqua

1997 Topps Texas Rangers Team Set

12 Rusty Greer
27 John Burkett
43 Roger Pavlik
61 Kevin Elster
76 Mike Henneman
124 Juan Gonzalez
139 Mark McLemore
162 Mickey Tettleton
194 Darryl Hamilton
235 Ken Hill
303 Darren Oliver
328 Kevin Gross
332 Bobby Witt
340 Ivan Rodriguez
387 Will Clark
393 Dean Palmer

Rendons For Sale, Topps Rangers and A Few Other Things

A few weeks ago, I mused about my fading interest in a few of my PC's, specifically my Anthony Rendon PC. Well, the time has come for me to make a decision. And that decision is...

I'm ending my Rendon Chrome Auto PC. I'm going to be selling those cards, so if you are interested, let me know and we'll see if we can work something out. As for the remaining cards, I'm going to keep them (for now). I have enjoyed grabbing the Bowman Chrome and Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects rainbows together, so we'll see how that goes. However, if those cards interest you, let me know and maybe we can work something out.

My primary PC's - the ones I am actively collecting - will be, in no particular order, Nelson Cruz (in a Rangers uni), Bryce Harper, Joey Gallo, Jordan Zimmermann and Yu Darvish.
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Speaking of personal collections, I've had my Ranger team set collecting on hiatus for a couple months. I just don't have it in me to go run down all of these random sets from Grandma's Bakery in 1976 and Pete's Dairy Rangers team set from 1987 (those aren't real sets, but I hope you get my drift). However, I don't want to completely stop collecting team sets, so I've some to a compromise. Since Topps is the only company allowed to use logos, and since I don't want logo-less cards in my collection, I'm going to confine my team set collection to Topps. This sucks - I'm really starting to dislike Topps - but my hatred for logo-free baseball cards is greater than that of Topps. I'll be editing my Ranger Team Sets page soon to reflect my collection changes.
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We are getting closer to the 2014 Gypsy Queen street date. I still need people to sign up for my break. I'm not getting a very good turnout for this break. What am I doing wrong? Y'all are my target audience - tell me how to make it better so that I can get six more people to sign up. I appreciate it!

Weekend Cards: Mail and Card Shop Buys

I FINALLY received the one card I've been waiting on for a couple of weeks. I don't know what took so long, and now that I have the card, I don't care. Behold, another MOBY DICK:

2013 Topps Triple Threads Nelson Cruz "Boomstick" magenta White Whale. This makes two of the Boomstick printing plates for me. I was able to add the first a couple months ago. Two down, two to go.

After my museum visit Saturday morning, I made sure to drop by Duane's Sports Cards on my way home. I haven't visited in a few months. After browsing through the singles and not really finding anything I need, I decided to buy a few 2014 S1 Jumbo Packs. I have no need for the cards, I just wanted to rip something. I managed to pull all of the hits from the box.

First up, a relic:

Newly-extended (who hasn't been?!?!) Juilo Teheran. I have no use for this card.

Next I pulled an auto:

Pirates prospect Andrew Lambo. I'm sending this one off to a Pirates blogger who has been more than kind to me, so it is unavailable.

And lastly, I suppose you could call this the "big hit":

Clayton Kershaw '08 Rookie Class Ring. I'm not sure what I am going to do with this card. Part of me wants to keep it. Another part of me wants to trade it. I will say this: if I'm going to trade it, the offer has to include a relic from a Rangers or Nats player.

So there it is: trade bait and a white whale. Pretty good weekend of card fishing!

The George W. Bush Presidential Library - An Unexpected Baseball Post

First - this post is about my visit to the GWB Library on the campus of SMU this past Saturday. I am commenting only on a baseball-related topic, so if you feel compelled to comment, please leave politics out of it. I try to keep my blog centered on baseball and baseball cards, so the last thing I want to see is people making comments about W's politics..

That being said, I finally have internet at my office! Hooray!

As I mentioned above, I visited the GWB Presidential Library Saturday morning. I'm a history nerd and one of my life goals is to visit all of the presidential libraries and museums. About a third of the way through the tour, I found this:

"It's no secret my husband loves baseball. If he had it his way, his baseball collection would be in our dining room...and there'd be a game on the South Lawn once a month." - Laura Bush

This is a very small part of W's autographed baseball collection, most of which are personalized to him. In the middle, there is a plaque featuring a quote from his wife, Laura (see above). Here are just a few that I found in the case before having to move on:

Bo Jackson

Texas Tech team-signed ball

George Brett

To George W 'Jr.' - Mickey Mantle

Obviously, the coolest of the collection is the Mantle. What I wouldn't give to have a Mantle ball personally inscribed to me!!! However, I was also surprised and proud to see the Tech ball in the case, as well. It was the only ball with a team logo of any kind, which left me feeling pretty proud to be an alum!

There was also a bat signed by a number of Hall of Famers - unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get an up-close picture of it.

The very next section of the library was devoted to 9/11. I'm not a very emotional guy, but remembering that event always gets to me. I didn't look at much, until I got to the very end of that section, where I found this:

You might remember these from this:

These are the sweater he wore, the pitching rubber from the mound and the ball he threw out. I remember watching that game...and crying like a little baby.

There is so much more to the museum and library than just the baseball portions. Everyone should visit, especially those who love baseball. It's a nice little hidden gem.

When the Digital Age Lashes Out

First, if anyone has JediJeff's mailing address, I would greatly appreciate if you would email it to me. I have a card to send to him. 

When I moved back to my hometown to work, I decided that I want to "digitally regress," in that I didn't want Internet at my home. Previously, I've had it everywhere I've lived. Inevitably, it leads to an increased workload (I always end up working in the weekends when I should be relaxing) or an increase in wasted time (staying up too late playing Call if Duty with my college buddies).

Therefore, I rely on my office internet to get me through the work day and to get my blogging in. 

Well, today my office internet is down. I can still work on our network, but I can't update my blog and share the awesome addition to a PC that I picked up Saturday, nor can I share a pretty sweet exhibit I visited in Dallas. 

I'm sure you are wondering why I don't just post an update on my phone. Well, the app lacks formatting options, so everything comes out looking weird. I don't like it. You would think that the Blogger app would be better than this...but what do I know. 

Anyway, just needed to vent. I think y'all are really going to like the things I have to share with you soon!

Just Another Manic Mailday

Okay, not really manic. Three pieces of mail. And one of them was from yesterday's mail, I just didn't get around to posting it.

Anyway, enough babbling. I received back a TTM, and it's a beauty:

Rangers Hall of Famer and knuckleball extraordinaire, Charlie Hough! This is a 1991 Topps, which I actually happen to love. I can't tell you why I'm such a fan of that year's design, but I am.

The next two cards are for my Jordan Zimmermann PC, and they are both from 2013 Triple Threads:

UAJR-JZ5, Gold parallel numbered 10 of 25, and:

UAJR-JZ1, Emerald parallel numbered 11 of 50.

I know that some people think the Triple Threads parallels are a gimmick, and I can certainly understand the logic of that. But I admit I love 'em. I love everything about them. As a matter of fact, there is only one thing I would change - I would make it a strictly on-card autograph.

Anyway, that's it for this post. Everyone have a good weekend and be safe out there!

And The Winner Is...

Don Larsen!!!!

But, I'm going to take PATP's advice and send a ball to both. I just have to go get another $15 OMLB ball.

What? I can tel you're looking at me like you thought I was going to announce the winner of something else. Sorry, I got nothin' for ya.

Oh wait - I forgot. I need to announce the winner of the Harper Black Friday card. First, I had random.org randomly select a number for me to act as the number of times I would randomize my list. It selected number 32. Would have been way cooler at 34 (Harper's number), but I never have anything cool like that happen. Anyway, after 32 rounds in the randomizer, the winner is....

Alex of Chavez Ravining! I feel kind of bad about this - I first "met" Alex because he decided he no longer wanted to focus on building a Bryce Harper PC. Greg (Plaschke, They Sweater Is Argyle) told Alex I might be interested in acquiring his Harper cards - and I was. Unfortunately, not long after our trade, Alex decided he did want to keep his Harper PC. Even worse for him, I'm kinda greedy when it comes to Harper cards, so I didn't offer to give the cards back. (I know I'm an ass)

So, here's to a new start, Alex!

Quick Poll: Answer Me!

I'm trying to get geared up for a new project that involves autographed baseballs. More details to come later, but here's what you need to know for now.:

I'm going to be sending out a ball, TTM style, tomorrow. Which former player should I send it to:

Don Larsen

- OR - 

Jim Bunning

I'll look at your votes/comments below on the poll to the right and send it to the winner tomorrow! Voting closes at noon central time, so get your votes in! And to thank you for helping me out, I give this awesome meme below!

I also tried to find a meme for our awesome Canadian friends, but this really doesn't need to be a meme. It's just that awesome - a passport-operated beer fridge solely for Canadians in the Olympic Village.

Mail Day and an Update

I received a couple packages in the mail today, and both of them were awesome.

First up, this 2013 Triple Threads Nelson Cruz "Boomstick" auto/relic:

This is the gold parallel numbered 3 of 9. Fits nicely into my Cruz PC. The only thing that bothers me is the slight misplacement of the middle patch. If you look closely, you can see that the top edge of the patch is visible in the "M". I'm not sure if it shifted after packaging or if if was placed in there like that. Regardless, I still like it.

As beautiful as that card is, this was my favorite in today's mail.

This is officially my first booklet card in my collection. Normally, I don't waste money on Panini cards because of the lack of logos. It bother me. However, this card just looks...classy. After MY announced his retirement, I figured I should pick up a few cards for my collection. What better way to start than this one???

Moving on from mail, I have a few updates. A few of you have contacted me about a trade. I haven't forgotten, I've just been swamped. So, here we go:

• Douglas Corti - I mailed a package to you earlier this week.
• JediJeff - I'm going to try to mail out the miscut buyback I received tomorrow. If you could, email me your address. judsonmeeks AT gmail DOT com.
• ARPSmith - The Giants Power Players will be in the mail toorrow.
• Brian (PATP) - The Votto topper will come soon...trying to find a safe way to ship it
• Dutch Card Guy - Saem with the cabinet cards - looking for a safe way to ship them.
• Brad - The Cepeda relic will be in the mail tomorrow.
• Tom (Angels, In Order) - I will try to get the Cron card in the mail tomorrow...I'm looking for your address.

I think that catches me up. If we have discussed a trade and I have agreed to send you something but haven't listed it here, please leave me a comment so I can get it out to you, I promise I didn't mean to forget!

Opinions Needed!

First, I want to thank everyone who has commented on my last post! It's funny how social everyone becomes when there is something being given away for free...bums! Hahaha I'm kidding about being a bum, but I am completely serious in thanking you for jumping in on my contest!

On the the point we go. A while back (4 or 5 years, maybe?), I was fortunate enough to receive this:

Sean Henn, former Yankees relief pitcher, was a client of my mother's insurance office. She knew that I was abaseball fan, and, during the course of conversation with Henn one day, brought up my love of the game. He autographed this bat with the inscription, "JUDSON - Best Wishes! Sean Henn" From that moment, Henn has been one of my favorite pitchers.

Fast-forward to today. Henn is/was in the Mets organization. But, after being sent back down to their Vegas affiliate in October, he elected free agency. Everything I find shows that he is still with the Mets, but I can't find anything showing that he re-signed with them. Do any Mets fan know?

Also, I spoke with William of foul bunt last night about all of this. I am planning on sending Henn a couple of my favorite cards of his to get them signed with the intention of having them framed with the bat. Furthermore, I wanted to send an authentic Yankees jersey for him to sign to frame with all of this, but I can't find one (all I find a batting practice jerseys). Therefore, my plan was to send the cards to Henn and ask to buy one of his jerseys, if he had one available. Do you think that is out of line? I don't want to be "that guy," but I also don't think that asking that would be that terrible. Thoughts?

A Few Random Things

Topps proves once again that they suck at life. I've been waiting almost 8 months for a few redemption autos. Finally, last week week, I gave up and called and asked for replacements. Today, I received the three replacements.

So, for a 2013 Topps Tribute blue parallel auto of Gio Gonzalez, a card with equivalent book value would be...

A 2011 Bowman Chrome auto numbered to 500 of CJ Cron? Never heard of him... I'm having a hard time believing that this is a card of equivalent value of a 2013 Gio Gonzalez blue auto numbered to 99.

And a 2011 Bowman Chrome auto to 500 of Trevor Story is supposed to have the same book value as a 2013 Tier One Crowd Pleaser copper rose auto parallel of Nelson Cruz numbered to 25. Impossible.

This was the replacement for my 2013 Bowman Inception base auto: a 2012 base auto of Max Fried. Okay, I believe that these two could have similar book value.

I'm currently on hold with Topps, Caller 7 to be exact, waiting to get an explanation for this nonsense.

UPDATE: I finally talked to someone. I was told that the Cron-for-Gonzalez swap I'm stuck with because the book value is the same. Which is nonsense. However, they "made a mistake" in sending me the Story for the Cruz card, so I have to send it back to get the right card. The a**hole I talked to also let me know that he thought it was stupid of me to ask for replacements, and said that I shouldn't have been upset for having to wait more than eight months for the cards. I swear, had he been telling me this face-to-face, I would have dropped him like a sack of potatoes. I grew up in the country, in Texas, where we are taught not to treat someone like that. I've punched men for less...
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I also received an eBay package today. It makes me much happier than the package from Topps. In it was this:

A couple weeks ago, I showed off a Panini Black Friday card of Harper that I got. Well, I liked it so much that I got the other black Friday card. But, to my surprise, there were two of these in my package. I went back and read the item description, and somehow I missed that I was bidding on two of these cards. Oh well, I paid less than $3 for the both of them.

So, in the spirit of blogging brotherhood, I'm going to give the second card away. All you have to do is make sure you are following my blog and comment below. Also, if you mention the contest on your blog (post the link to your pimping in the comments section below), I'll give you anothe rentry. And if someone else enters the contest and mentions your name and blog, I'll give you another entry. The contest ends this Friday at noon central time, so get on it!
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Lastly, I leave you with a picture from Petco Park in San Diego. I visited last April, and I was just going through my pictures. I kind of forgot how beautiful it was!

The Best TTM I've Ever Received! (Part 2)

I've seen a couple posts about people getting a TTM back  from this person in the past couple weeks, so I was optimistic that I would get mine back. And I did:

Boom! Kid K, Clayton Kershaw! I'll be honest, when I sent this out, I didn't think I would get it back. I figured that a star pitcher like him probably got too much mail to sign and return everything, so I had written it off. Yesterday, I opened my mailbox to find a familiar self-adressed stamped envelope. The postmark had a North Texas stamp, so I was a bit confused - all of the cards I sent out to Rangers players have been accounted for. I temporarily forgot that Kershaw lives in Highland Park (side note - even with the new contract, Kershaw probably isn't the wealthiest person in his neighborhood).

The signature is beautiful - the blue ink looks great- and the added number inscription makes it even cooler.

I am pretty happy to add this to my collection!

PS - Be on the lookout for my next post - I'm going to rant a bit, but I will end it with a contest!!!

Biggest TTM I've Ever received...

...And I'll tell you about it later. Unfortunately, I'm on my way to a meeting. 

I just enjoy being a tease. Bahahaha

Quickie! (Pull Your Mind From The Gutter!!!)

Just a quick post today - the weather is finally nice and I don't want to be inside all day!

First, if you are collecting 2014 Topps Series 1 but you don't plan on putting together the Power Players insert set, SEND THEM TO ME. I am trying to put together the entire set (110 cards from S1, 110 cards from S2). If I can do it, I will be eligible to win a special autographed set. If I win that set, I will give away some cards from it to someone that helped me! So send them my way (with the code unused!)!

Second, I received a sweet package from Chris at Condition Sensitive earlier in the week. He sent me some awesome stuff:

For my Nelson Cruz PC, this awesome Pink Parallel from the base set, and the base Chrome card, which I didn't have a spare for my PC. Both Needed and very much appreciated!

A Harper Xfractor for my PC. Nice!

LAstly, a base auto of Darin Ruf. I know, you're probably thinking, "Judson, you aren't a Phillies collector. What gives?" Well, Ruf and I went to school together at Creighton (along with Yankees ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte). So I was pretty stoked to finally pick up one of his autos.

Thanks Chris!

Sometimes, I Don't Know What To Say

Occasionally, Blogger decides that it doesn't want to share all of the posts that should appear in my feed. This leads to me missing an awesome card that someone pulled, trade bait being offered up that I would love to have or just an overall awesome post that would have made my day better just by reading.

Earlier today, I clicked on the latest post from Mark's Ephemera in which he shares his gratitude for making Night Owl's Top 12 "always read to the bottom" blogs.

He was also grateful for being nominated for Best Blogger at it's like having my own Card Shop. In giving thanks, he also mentions a few new blogs that he is following because of the nomination. He mentioned my blog, which, unbeknownst to me, had been nominated at Dan's blog for Best New Blog.

I'm truly speechless.

I never saw the posts by Dan because Blogger evidently thought I shouldn't see them. Evidently, Blogger isn't as big of a fan of my blog as some of you are.

Dan, I truly appreciate the honor of being nominated. To whoever nominated me...I'll spot you $50 when I find out who you are!

In all seriousness, I am truly honored and appreciative of the nomination. When I started this blog, I didn't think anyone would read. I did it more for me to have an outlet to write - I have two degrees in journalism and mass communication that I don't use professionally, so I need to keep my skills sharp. The fact that people not only read it but like it is....well, it's beyond me. So, thank you to everyone who has ever read My Cardboard Habit.

And thanks to Mark for giving me a bit of time on his blog and for letting me know I was up for an award! I owe you!

The Best Hobby Box I Ever Opened...Followed By One Of The Worst

Yesterday, I stopped by my LCS to blow off steam (it was a very long day at work). I'm almost finished with my 2014 Topps S1 set, but I decided to buy a hobby box for shits and giggles (pardon the language).

Turned out to be the best hobby box I ever opened.

I'll get right to the hits. The very first pack offered up this beauty:

Enny Romero clear parallel numbered 1 of 10! I told Jimmy, the shop owner, that I hoped to pull one of these in my box, not thinking it would actually be in there. Too bad it isn't a Harper or a Darvish! It's a pretty freakin sweet card, though.

After that card, I went on about a 15 pack dry spell. Then I pulled this guy:

"Before They Were Great" insert of Roberto Clemente, gold parallel numbered 88 of 99!!! Sweet!

But wait, there's more!

I pulled a pack out of the box and right away knew that it was something out of the ordinary. The weight suggested that there was metal in the pack, so I thought it would be one of those Rookie Cup cards I've been seeing in the blogosphere.

But it wasn't.

This is a black-framed George Brett Rookie Reprint numbered 69 of 199. Pretty awesome card. Helluva of a signature, don't you think? The card is extremely thick - only one other card was in the pack with it.

The box was rounded out by a Rickie Weeks relic...

And two buybacks: a 1960 Gene Woodling (in terrible shape) and a 1975 Don DeMola. Sure, why not.

Can anyone tell me how the buyback program works, by the way???

So, after all that awesomeness, I convinced myself to buy another box of Series 1. I didn't really have the expendable cash, but I just knew I would get something.

And I did. A bunch of crap.

A Joey Votto relic. Not interested.

A terribly cut 1969 Rookie Stars card of Jim Ray and Mike Ferraro.

And a 1965 Bill Plies. Not in bad shape.

However, the very last pack offered this up:

A David Ortiz short print! this is actually the third short print card I have pulled, that I know of - I still need to sort and see if I have any of the "sparkle" short prints - to go along with one of Adam Wainwright and one of Nick Swisher.

So there you have it. My best and worst box. The Romero, Clemente Brett and Ortiz cards are lsited on eBay (have to get some money ready for GQ!), but everything else is up for trade.