on June 10th, 2009 by zman40
Posted in Auto Cards
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on June 10th, 2009 by houstoncollector
Thanks to Upper Deck over on their Facebook page, we have information on this year’s SP Authentic baseball, and …. wow. This product has 200 cards in the set, and fully half of them are short-printed. Now, to be totally fair to Upper Deck here, it’s not like SP Authentic has been a set builder’s [...]
Continue reading about 2009 SP Authentic Baseball Preview »
Posted in Houston Card Collector
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on June 10th, 2009 by chrisolds
Posted in Beckett Blog
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on June 10th, 2009 by houstoncollector
2009 Topps Football isn’t even on shelves yet, and we’re already looking at previews for 2009 Topps Chrome football. Now, I’ve always liked Chrome Football, if for no other reason than it seems to be, at least over the past few years, the one product that has a decent reason to purchase at hobby: Since [...]
Continue reading about 2009 Topps Chrome Football Preview »
Posted in Houston Card Collector
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on June 10th, 2009 by houstoncollector
Apparently while I was on my mini-vacation (at Project A-Kon), some news slipped by me, and I thought I’d cover it all here.
First, Topps has announced the first Red Hot Rookie for 2009 Series Two Baseball, which is Fernando Martinez of the New York Mets. I have to admit, the red border around the card [...]
Continue reading about News For 6/10/09 »
Posted in Houston Card Collector
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on June 10th, 2009 by White Sox Cards
Posted in White Sox Cards
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on June 10th, 2009 by Newspaperman
The 2006 Rookie Card Crop is perhaps one of the best in recent memory. We had Evan Longoria, Justin Upton, Clayton Kershaw, Alex Gordon, Cameron Maybin and Jon Lester, just to name a few. But in most of these cases, it seems the only way to get each player’s first MLB card is to bust [...]
Continue reading about Is 2006 Bowman Heritage Underrated? »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
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on June 10th, 2009 by rosschrisman2003
If you ever need a good laugh, I suggest heading over to Coach’s Corner. This auction site is nothing but a breeding ground for scammers and counterfeiters. I know for a fact I’m not the first person to discuss them, but I thought I would still share my thoughts on it.
Coach’s Corner always seems to [...]
Continue reading about Biggest Joke In The Hobby: Coach’s Corner »
Posted in Sports Card Info
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on June 10th, 2009 by Mario A.
Lately, the big news in collecting is all about Matt Wieters and the rush to release his cards now that he is in the Majors. Unfortunately for some, Wieters has an exclusive contract with Razor Entertainment. Surprisingly, that hasn’t stopped both Topps and Upper Deck from trying to cash in on the prospect’s popularity among [...]
Continue reading about Tristar is about to shock The Hobby! »
Posted in Wax Heaven
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on June 10th, 2009 by Tracy Hackler
Next season’s basketball market is filling up rather rapidly this season. On the heels of Upper Deck’s announcement of 2009-10 SP Game Used a few weeks back, Topps on Wednesday morning released details on 2009-10 Bowman ’48 Basketball, a hobby-exclusive product set to arrive in August.
Playing off a nostalgia recipe that has worked wonders for [...]
Continue reading about First Look: 2009-10 ‘48 Bowman Basketball »
Posted in Beckett Blog
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on June 10th, 2009 by Mario A.
PRODUCT DETAILS
(3) Autographs per box
(1) Numbered Card per pack
(1) Autograph Relic numbered to 41 or less per case
PARALLEL CARDS
* Red (1 of 1)
* Black (#’d to 48)
* Blue (#’d to 1948)
* Printing Plates
BREAKDOWN
8 cards per pack, 24 packs per box, 12 boxes per case
RELEASE DATE
August 17th, 2009
(thumbnails lead to full-size scans)
[...]
Continue reading about 2009-10 Bowman ‘48 preview »
Posted in Wax Heaven
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on June 10th, 2009 by steveisjewish
Posted in Easy Life
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on June 10th, 2009 by Tuff Stuff
Unless you’ve been living overseas or in Chicago, where the focus of
every sports-related conversation begins and ends with the Cubs, you’ve
heard of college pitching sensation Stephen
Strasburg. You know the kid with the 102-mph fastball and a full repertoire of
complimentary pitches to go with it and the command rarely associated with a collegiate
power pitcher.
The Washington Nationals made Strasburg the top pick in the Amateur Draft on
Tuesday and because Strasburg has Scott Boros as an agent, many are speculating
it could end up costing the Nats more than $40 million to sign him. Strasburg went
13-1 with a 1.32 ERA this season for San Diego State, leading the Aztecs to their
first postseason berth since 1991. Should those numbers equate to a record-breaking
contract offer from the Nationals, you betcha. Much like the collectibles hobby, the
Nationals need a superstar-type player to rejuvenate a dismal franchise and Strasburg
is just the guy to do it. While I wouldn’t just bend over and allow Boros to hold
the team hostage because he has all the bargaining power but ultimately I would do
whatever necessary to sign MLB’s next big thing.
Normally when a sure-fire prospect emerges like this and separates himself from the
pack the way Strasburg has, you’ll find at least one of the experts reserving judgement
and pointing out the fact that he could fail to live up to the expectations. But that
has not been the case with Strasburg, as I have yet to find one expert focussing on
a potential weakness. Very rarely, but sometimes, an athlete comes along and lives
up to all the hype and Strasburg appears to be that guy. And he’s right on time for
both MLB and the sports collecting world who could both use a much-needed shot in
the arm. Hopefully, the whole contract issue will be resolved quickly and we can all
welcome the young phenom to a ballpark and an autograph signing appearance near you
real soon.

Continue reading about Not So Deep Thoughts: Is Strasburg For Real Or Another Sidd Finch? »
Posted in 7th Inning Stretch
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on June 10th, 2009 by chemgod
Name: Barry Zito (2 color patch)
Position: Starting Pitcher
Team: Currently with the San Francisco Giants
Set it’s from: 2004 Fleer eX
Serial Number: 60/75
How obtained: eBay auction
Why this Card?: Flashback to 2004, Zito is fresh off yet another one of his 14+ win seasons. He already has a Cy Young award under his belt, and is [...]
Continue reading about Bad Wax World of Patches – Barry Zito »
Posted in Bad Wax
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on June 10th, 2009 by chemgod
I have decided to have some fun with my TTMs. I may not get too many out, but at least they will look cooler than the regular Signature cards. Let me know that I can do to make it look better. I am just getting used to Photoshop so as I gain more experience I [...]
Continue reading about My First Crack At a Custom TTM Card »
Posted in Bad Wax
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on June 10th, 2009 by T.S.

David Spindel is a transplanted New Yorker who’s getting so used
to Arizona that he can practically pass for a native. That is until he opens his mouth.
Then it’s clear he’s a New Yawker.
And if there were any doubt, one only needs to look back at many of the
incredible collages of cards and memorabilia from the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Mickey
Mantle, Willie Mays and a battalion of other baseball greats. Spindel’s iconic work
is found in private collections and museums across the country, a testimony to a brilliant,
creative mind that has literally invented its own genre in the world of photography,
sports and beyond.
Serious hobbyists and baseball fans will instantly recognize his remarkable
work, a staggering array of tributes to the greats of the games by way of artfully
arranging and photographing their memorabilia. It’s hard to imagine any single-player
collector who doesn’t own a print from Spindel. Hell, they would be useful as checklists
of a sort as well, since many of the original layouts can include hundreds of pieces
related to that specific player of team (think Yankees, Bums, Cubs and more).
If you go to his gallery on his website: www.spindelvisions.com,
you could end up staying for a good deal longer than you might have planned. Even
if you confine yourself simply to his baseball lineup (now a fraction of his overall
inventory), you’re talking about 150 or more prints of some of the most stunning still-life
photography imaginable.
Not surprisingly, this is the kind of stuff of magazine and book covers,
of which he can claim hundreds. His absolutely unique portraiture of everybody from
John Lennon, George Burns and a host of Hollywood and entertainment celebrities to
Yogi, Mickey, Babe, Joe, Henry, Tom Seaver and dozens more has left Spindel rubbing
elbows with the giants of American culture over the last 50-plus years, and he’s got
the photos to prove it. Spindel is 67 and still going strong, vowing never to retire
despite living in the arid Arizona badlands in Anthem, not far from Scottsdale. He
concedes that New York was getting to be too much for him
“I’ll never retire,” said Spindel in a phone interview recently. “When
I first moved out here from New York I was so depressed. What will I do, photograph
cactus?”
Spindel will answer that question and talk about his unique relationship
with Joe DiMaggio in tomorrow’s blog.

Continue reading about Spindel goes west, but he is still shooting … »
Posted in Infield Dirt
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on June 10th, 2009 by Mario A.
One of my biggest pet peeves of 2008 was the destruction of the beautiful 1993 Pinnacle on-card autograph set of Joe Dimaggio. Donruss purchased seemingly thousands of them, cut them into pieces and inserted them into the Prime Cuts release.
What was perhaps the most disturbing part was that collectors who didn’t know any better were [...]
Continue reading about I owe Donruss an apology »
Posted in Wax Heaven
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on June 10th, 2009 by Dinged Corners
Posted in Dinged Corners
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on June 10th, 2009 by 30-Year Old Cardboard
Now that my Dave Winfield player collection is complete I wanted to take the time to show off my favorite 5 cards from this set.
Card #4 – 1978 Topps
No card in my Dave Winfield collection screams ‘1970’s’ like this one from the 1978 Topps set.
For starters, you have Mr. Winfield and his mini-afro stuffed under [...]
Continue reading about My Dave Winfield ‘Fab 5′ – Card #4 »
Posted in 30 Year Old Cardboard
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on June 10th, 2009 by Dan
Posted in OMGAutos
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on June 10th, 2009 by chemgod
Lately, I have been intrigued on how relic cards are made. I have noticed more and more that fake patches are becoming the norm on eBay and it’s getting harder and harder to figure out what’s real and what isn’t. Another troubling development is that presence of fake autographs popping up all over the place. [...]
Continue reading about Do We Really Need the Baseball Card Companies? »
Posted in Bad Wax
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on June 10th, 2009 by gritz76
The same two culprits got me booted again. This time they enlisted the help of a mod. I’m not sure why I got booted this time, the only guess is that they don’t like it when you tell the world that you easily hopped back on with a new account. The irony here is that [...]
Continue reading about Booted Off Beckett Again »
Posted in Baseball Cards
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