Yet another copy of a copy post. Instead of forcing you read the text here, just Click
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Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
This and That
Today's post is just a list of stuff. I know in my Pet Peeves entry I decry numbered lists, so instead of numbers I give you bullets. If I could figure out how to turn them into baseballs, I would.
- Did you know that you can get the same Major League Baseball notes that the teams send out to the media each day? For free? Online? Well, you can. Right Here. Download them before each and every game and amaze your friends with the sheer amount of trivia that you know. It's FUN!
- Yesterday on one of my MANY trips to Target I bought their last three packs of Allen & Ginter retail and proved my theory that you can in fact search them. Out of the three packs one was decidedly thicker, and of course that one had the State Insert in it. The other two, just six cards including the mini.
- I bought one other pack yesterday, a 2005 Topps Updates and Highlights for $1.59. Mass Market stores tend to have a blowout box of "excel marketing" packs, which are older product for usually either 99 cents or $1.59. The product is usually not that old, and is absolutely unsearched. How do I know? I pulled a jersey out of my pack yesterday. Sure, I don't particularly care about the player, but this particular card shows that a scant few years ago, Topps actually KNEW how to manufacture a great jersey card. First, it's numbered, out of a smallish number too. Secondly, it says flat out that the swatch was used in a specific game (albeit the All-Star game). Finally, though some may disagree, I actually like the design. The colors, while garish, aren't awful and they go with the actual team colors, though that appears to be unintentional. Sure the card is probably worth less than five bucks, but hey, I love getting jerseys out of a pack that costs less than two bucks.
- Two pieces that I wrote for Sports Cards Uncensored have gotten a bit of traction. The first is a response to Cardboard Mania and his initial contention that Topps deliberately produced an error card in Bowman Chrome (Kosuke Fukudome at that). The second is a response to his response, and has some great comments, so make sure you scroll down all the way. I don't think the issue is put to bed, but there's a bit more light that needs to be shed on the cards in question. Either way, there's no way that card is worth the mega-bucks that people on eBay want for it.
- Speaking of SCU, please read this post and if you can, give what you can. A very worthy cause in my opinion.
- Remember, if you're in my Fantasy Footbal league, the draft is set for Saturday at 12:30 PM. I had to rearrange my schedule for Saturday in order to be available.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Adventures in eBay - Part 2 in an Ongoing Saga
Today I realized that I've been buying and selling on eBay for almost nine years! Wow, somehow it seems longer, but the first feedback I ever received was in December of 1999, I remember I purchased the Pink Floyd: The Wall Movie Tie-In book that had eluded me since 1982. I had never even seen the thing for purchase at a used book store, and I checked EVERY SINGLE ONE I went to for well over a decade. Suddenly this eBay thing was my favorite site.
Over the years I've purchase much more than I've sold, but I've made some really, really good sales. Of course right now I have 45 items up for sale (down from 49 already, I sold 4 items between yesterday and today, and made about $20!), so get to bidding would ya?
One of the cool things about eBay is that you can go back and look at what you purchased, for the last 60 days (you can actually go back farther than the 60 days in My_ebay, you just have to look in your paypal account, if you use paypal for payments, which I do).
You should already know that I sold the Fukudome Japanese short print from Upper Deck Series 2 for $46.00, to a gent in Japan, so I had some dough in my account. What did I purchase? Well, not a whole lot actually, I spent quite a bit of that windfall on packs and toys at brick and mortar. Here's what I did buy on the bay in July:
This one cost me a whopping $4.25 plus $3 for shipping. Normally I don't like paying that much for a single, but I love Jordan, and I didn't have that particular RC. Plus it's serial #ed 1/19, which I really liked. Yes, I know that makes me a Joe Collector but I don't care. I don't have any other cards with the first serial number. So there.
I can't say that I NEEDED most of these cards, though there were a few in the non-autos that I didn't have. I didn't have a single card of JaRon Rush, so getting an auto, out of an UD product, is pretty sweet. On the other side though, I already have several Gadzuric autos, and the Zidek auto makes the third different version of that card that I own now, two of them are autoed. I spent a whopping four bucks on this lot, including shipping.
I love media guides, I have a dozen from the Los Angeles Kings, dating back as far as 87-88, though since I have at this point, basically given up on the Kings, I focus on the UCLA Bruins, my alma mater. This was a great lot that set me back less than THREE BUCKS! Considering the cover price of the guides at the student store is something like 20 bucks, I consider this a steal. I'd like to go back and fill in the holes in my collection, but since I only have about a half-dozen Bruin guides, that's going to take awhile.
Oh and I don't have ANY Angels Media Guides, so if someone out there has them and wants to trade, let me know.
It wouldn't be a proper entry for me if I didn't mention the Angels SOMEWHERE. I got this lot of 200 cards for a PENNY plus $3.75 shipping. You have to be careful with large lots of the same team, not that the lots aren't worth the dough, usually they are, it's the shipping that can get outrageous. I've seen folks who try to make their money on the shipping and handling, rather than the price of the item, and it's just not right. In my estimation, $3.75 seemed a reasonable amount to ship a couple hundred cards. Of course, I've seen people try to charge twice or three times that for the same amount. Sad isn't it?
Over the years I've purchase much more than I've sold, but I've made some really, really good sales. Of course right now I have 45 items up for sale (down from 49 already, I sold 4 items between yesterday and today, and made about $20!), so get to bidding would ya?
One of the cool things about eBay is that you can go back and look at what you purchased, for the last 60 days (you can actually go back farther than the 60 days in My_ebay, you just have to look in your paypal account, if you use paypal for payments, which I do).
You should already know that I sold the Fukudome Japanese short print from Upper Deck Series 2 for $46.00, to a gent in Japan, so I had some dough in my account. What did I purchase? Well, not a whole lot actually, I spent quite a bit of that windfall on packs and toys at brick and mortar. Here's what I did buy on the bay in July:
06-07 Topps Luxury Box Jordan Farmar RC #1/19
This one cost me a whopping $4.25 plus $3 for shipping. Normally I don't like paying that much for a single, but I love Jordan, and I didn't have that particular RC. Plus it's serial #ed 1/19, which I really liked. Yes, I know that makes me a Joe Collector but I don't care. I don't have any other cards with the first serial number. So there.
A bunch of UCLA Bruin Cards, including 3 Autos
I can't say that I NEEDED most of these cards, though there were a few in the non-autos that I didn't have. I didn't have a single card of JaRon Rush, so getting an auto, out of an UD product, is pretty sweet. On the other side though, I already have several Gadzuric autos, and the Zidek auto makes the third different version of that card that I own now, two of them are autoed. I spent a whopping four bucks on this lot, including shipping.
07-08 UCLA Basketball Media Guide & Final Four Guide
I love media guides, I have a dozen from the Los Angeles Kings, dating back as far as 87-88, though since I have at this point, basically given up on the Kings, I focus on the UCLA Bruins, my alma mater. This was a great lot that set me back less than THREE BUCKS! Considering the cover price of the guides at the student store is something like 20 bucks, I consider this a steal. I'd like to go back and fill in the holes in my collection, but since I only have about a half-dozen Bruin guides, that's going to take awhile.
Oh and I don't have ANY Angels Media Guides, so if someone out there has them and wants to trade, let me know.
Lot of 200 Angels Cards
It wouldn't be a proper entry for me if I didn't mention the Angels SOMEWHERE. I got this lot of 200 cards for a PENNY plus $3.75 shipping. You have to be careful with large lots of the same team, not that the lots aren't worth the dough, usually they are, it's the shipping that can get outrageous. I've seen folks who try to make their money on the shipping and handling, rather than the price of the item, and it's just not right. In my estimation, $3.75 seemed a reasonable amount to ship a couple hundred cards. Of course, I've seen people try to charge twice or three times that for the same amount. Sad isn't it?
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Buy My Stuff!
Today's Entry is a BLATANT advertisement for the 48 items that I JUST put up on eBay.
Unfortunately NONE of them are Sports Cards this time around. Most of them are toys or magazines that I need to get rid of, so if there's something you like, please bid, and bid often.
If I can sell some of this stuff then maybe I can buy some Kevin Love or Russell Westbrook cards.
Unfortunately NONE of them are Sports Cards this time around. Most of them are toys or magazines that I need to get rid of, so if there's something you like, please bid, and bid often.
If I can sell some of this stuff then maybe I can buy some Kevin Love or Russell Westbrook cards.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Team Trading - Budget Update
I have received a couple packages that were FAR more than I expected. However, in trying to add some better stuff for my end I delayed sending out longer than I would have liked. I should be mailing out tomorrow four packages, one of Yankees, one of Rockies, one of Dodgers and one of A's. I don't want to invade anyone's privacy by revealing who I traded with, but if you made a deal with me for one of those teams, they should be on their way shortly, and I apologize for the delay.
I'm usually very good with my trades. Over on Pojo.com, where I used to be a Super-Moderator, I have a stellar 100% trader rating with over 70 trades successfully completed. I used to trade on WizKids.com as well, and have something like 40 successful trades there.
With the influx of so many new Angels cards, I had to split my binder up between current and former Angels, which for a lot of teams would mean a lot of switching out cards. Not the Angels thankfully, and I waited until after the big trade before I did this, so while I have some great Casey Kotchman cards, he's now in the "Former" player binder, along with all my faves from years past, though I notice, I could use a few more Nolan Ryan as an Angel cards.
This week just didn't happen for me very well. I know, that doesn't really make sense, but just go with it would ya!
I guess the best news this week is that Allen & Ginter showed up at Target for three bucks a pack! If you're trying to put together a set of this stuff, that's the ONLY way to go at this point, since you're getting six cards for $3 (and usually a 7th too, since the minis are inserted as a bonus) instead of $5 per pack for eight cards. Sure, you may not get the BIG end hits, but if you're like me and cannot afford to buy a box in the first place, you're not going to get the "big" hits anyway.
Plus, and I almost hate to admit this, but the retail A&G packs are somewhat searchable. Packs are different sizes, packs with a mini are thicker than non-mini packs. So far, I'm four for four on minis, including one black border and one short print. I also pulled a Teixiera Jersey, and even though he's pictured on the Braves, the swatch is bright red, so it's going in my Angels collection.
Over the next few months there will be a ton of Baseball releases, most of them mid to high end products that I have no interest in whatsoever. Once a single pack of cards goes over the $10 hobby level, I'm priced out. I can splurge every now and then on something that costs $5 to $10, but I'm more likely to purchase packs that give me more bang for my buck, which is why products like Upper Deck Retail, Topps Regular, Topps Chrome, Heritage and Allen & Ginter are my go-tos for the year. At least I know what I'm going to get, and I wouldn't mind putting together full sets of any of those products. Do you see the commonality between those four sets? Yeah, they're all under three bucks a pack at retail. Heck, regular Topps is the same price Hobby or Retail. Chrome is only a buck more at Hobby than Retail, and so far, I've been luckier with the Retail Chrome packs, pulling many more decent cards from Retail than Hobby.
I'll probably dabble in the update sets, but as the Basketball season draws closer and the Baseball season winds down, my collecting focus will waver back and forth between the Angels and the UCLA Bruins in the NBA. Because when it comes to Basketball cards, I'm not a team collector in the normal sense, I only care about cards of former UCLA Bruins, which in the past hasn't been that tough of a challenge. This year with two top five picks, I'm probably looking at some decent cash for rookie cards, but I'm hoping I can trade for what I want anyway, or use eBay money, which reminds me, I've got some stuff to list soon.
Sigh, the Angels have now lost TWO in a row, both games they should have won. The bullpen hasn't been especially good lately, even Frankie (or K-Rod for the abbreviation challenged) hasn't pitched very well of late. He's in his contract season, and looking to score big with a multi-year contract. Conventional wisdom would say that that Halos will go after Teixiera with a big money deal, but they also have Garrett Anderson at the end of his contract too, so the off-season should be very interesting. However, winning a World Series just might make some of those guys want to stay for less.
I sure hope so, the team the Angels have right now is probably the best I've ever seen, and they are damn fun to watch.
I'm usually very good with my trades. Over on Pojo.com, where I used to be a Super-Moderator, I have a stellar 100% trader rating with over 70 trades successfully completed. I used to trade on WizKids.com as well, and have something like 40 successful trades there.
With the influx of so many new Angels cards, I had to split my binder up between current and former Angels, which for a lot of teams would mean a lot of switching out cards. Not the Angels thankfully, and I waited until after the big trade before I did this, so while I have some great Casey Kotchman cards, he's now in the "Former" player binder, along with all my faves from years past, though I notice, I could use a few more Nolan Ryan as an Angel cards.
This week just didn't happen for me very well. I know, that doesn't really make sense, but just go with it would ya!
I guess the best news this week is that Allen & Ginter showed up at Target for three bucks a pack! If you're trying to put together a set of this stuff, that's the ONLY way to go at this point, since you're getting six cards for $3 (and usually a 7th too, since the minis are inserted as a bonus) instead of $5 per pack for eight cards. Sure, you may not get the BIG end hits, but if you're like me and cannot afford to buy a box in the first place, you're not going to get the "big" hits anyway.
Plus, and I almost hate to admit this, but the retail A&G packs are somewhat searchable. Packs are different sizes, packs with a mini are thicker than non-mini packs. So far, I'm four for four on minis, including one black border and one short print. I also pulled a Teixiera Jersey, and even though he's pictured on the Braves, the swatch is bright red, so it's going in my Angels collection.
Over the next few months there will be a ton of Baseball releases, most of them mid to high end products that I have no interest in whatsoever. Once a single pack of cards goes over the $10 hobby level, I'm priced out. I can splurge every now and then on something that costs $5 to $10, but I'm more likely to purchase packs that give me more bang for my buck, which is why products like Upper Deck Retail, Topps Regular, Topps Chrome, Heritage and Allen & Ginter are my go-tos for the year. At least I know what I'm going to get, and I wouldn't mind putting together full sets of any of those products. Do you see the commonality between those four sets? Yeah, they're all under three bucks a pack at retail. Heck, regular Topps is the same price Hobby or Retail. Chrome is only a buck more at Hobby than Retail, and so far, I've been luckier with the Retail Chrome packs, pulling many more decent cards from Retail than Hobby.
I'll probably dabble in the update sets, but as the Basketball season draws closer and the Baseball season winds down, my collecting focus will waver back and forth between the Angels and the UCLA Bruins in the NBA. Because when it comes to Basketball cards, I'm not a team collector in the normal sense, I only care about cards of former UCLA Bruins, which in the past hasn't been that tough of a challenge. This year with two top five picks, I'm probably looking at some decent cash for rookie cards, but I'm hoping I can trade for what I want anyway, or use eBay money, which reminds me, I've got some stuff to list soon.
Sigh, the Angels have now lost TWO in a row, both games they should have won. The bullpen hasn't been especially good lately, even Frankie (or K-Rod for the abbreviation challenged) hasn't pitched very well of late. He's in his contract season, and looking to score big with a multi-year contract. Conventional wisdom would say that that Halos will go after Teixiera with a big money deal, but they also have Garrett Anderson at the end of his contract too, so the off-season should be very interesting. However, winning a World Series just might make some of those guys want to stay for less.
I sure hope so, the team the Angels have right now is probably the best I've ever seen, and they are damn fun to watch.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Team Trading Update
The following teams are no longer available:
Oakland A's
Minnesota Twins (Held for Gellman at SCU)
New York Yankees
Atlanta Braves (Held for...err...I forget)
Florida Marlins (Held for Mario at WaxHeaven)
Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
Washington Nationals
If you've got Angels cards and you want some of your favorite team, let's trade! Send me an Email to WMNOE@YAHOO.COM and we'll talk!
Oakland A's
Minnesota Twins (Held for Gellman at SCU)
New York Yankees
Atlanta Braves (Held for...err...I forget)
Florida Marlins (Held for Mario at WaxHeaven)
Los Angeles Dodgers
Colorado Rockies
Washington Nationals
If you've got Angels cards and you want some of your favorite team, let's trade! Send me an Email to WMNOE@YAHOO.COM and we'll talk!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
ToppsTown Baseball: Mission Complete!
Two months and four days, that's all it took for me to compile a complete set of ToppsTown virtual cards. The only other time I bothered to do a "virtual" card collection was for one of the Harry Potter movies, the third one if I'm not mistaken. For that feat (which cost zero dollars) I received a PDF certificate. I didn't even get that for all 203 ToppsTown cards. I probably won't be collecting the Football version, since I haven't bought a pack of Football cards for over 10 years and have no desire to start collecting FB again.
Along the way I found a couple of codes that YOU can use to get free packs. These seem to be universal codes that will work once on anyone's account, and they're only good for Baseball packs unfortunately. Good thing is, one is a gold card!
94KNCH4 - that was on a postcard that Topps and UD put out together
d53bd5f - You get this code for playing the SI for Kids home run derby game
F34CE1L (GOLD) - Same as above only gold.
So if ANYONE has any football codes they'd like to give me for providing a few more baseball codes, I'd really appreciate it.
I have to say, the challenge was pretty fun to be honest. I liked the mini-games, and I'd like to keep playing the football games, but without any football cards in my virtual binder it makes things a bit more tough.
I also like the virtual clubhouse and avatar that you can create. Check out my clubhouse and the latest incarnation of my avatar. This is easily the fifth or sixth version of him.
Along the way I found a couple of codes that YOU can use to get free packs. These seem to be universal codes that will work once on anyone's account, and they're only good for Baseball packs unfortunately. Good thing is, one is a gold card!
94KNCH4 - that was on a postcard that Topps and UD put out together
d53bd5f - You get this code for playing the SI for Kids home run derby game
F34CE1L (GOLD) - Same as above only gold.
So if ANYONE has any football codes they'd like to give me for providing a few more baseball codes, I'd really appreciate it.
I have to say, the challenge was pretty fun to be honest. I liked the mini-games, and I'd like to keep playing the football games, but without any football cards in my virtual binder it makes things a bit more tough.
I also like the virtual clubhouse and avatar that you can create. Check out my clubhouse and the latest incarnation of my avatar. This is easily the fifth or sixth version of him.
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