Pack Break: Five Hobby Packs of 2011 Bowman Platinum

I purchased these packs of 2011 Bowman Platinum from SportsCardForum back in August. When they arrived, I did not have time to open them since I was going through Chief Petty Officer Induction.  So they became buried in a pile … Continue reading…

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A very nice addition to my personal collection arrived in the mailbox today. I won this beauty from Ebay.  Paul Lowe’s 1961 Fleer card, graded 92 (NM/MT+) by SGC.  This adds another card to my SGC graded 1961 Fleer Football … Continue rea…

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A new year brings new opportunities for collecting.  For the past couple of years, I really haven’t been collecting as much as I would like.  But one of my goals for the new year is to make more of an … Continue reading →©2008-…

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Card: 2003 Upper Deck Fortyman #940 Shane Victorino Sometimes, when you have a fairly large card collection, you might discover something you have completely forgotten about. Like the fact that Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino used to r…

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I got some great news today.  After 13 years, I was finally selected for advancement to Chief Petty Officer (E7).   If you are not familiar with the Navy, advancement to Chief Petty Officer is probably the most significant milestone for an enlisted sailor.  After 4 years of being eligible,  it … Continue reading →

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Card: 1995 Skybox Impact #124 featuring Chargers Quarterback Stan Humphries Why is this card so awesome: First off this is a card of Stan ‘The Man’ Humphries, one of the toughest men to ever quarterback the Bolts.  Secondly, it is a picture of Mr. Humphries wearing the throwback Powder Blue … Continue reading →

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It’s been quite a while since my last post.  Almost 18 months in fact.  It’s probably been just as long since the last time I even took a peek at my card collection.  So what have I been up during that time?  Well, work for one.  The Navy sure has a way … Continue reading →

©2008-2011 The Electric Friar
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Continue reading about My Return To The Hobby »

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had time to update the blog – 5 months in fact.  The fact of the matter is, I’ve had to take a break from the hobby.  Unfortunately, spare time isnt a luxury I have at my disposal right now.  Work has been hectic – sea duty in the [...]

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Not Quite Back Just Yet

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For all the numerologists out there, today is 09/09/09.  Lots of baseball significance in the number 9.  Nine inning ballgames, nine players in a lineup, etc.  What better way to celebrate than trying to determine the 9 greatest hitting performances in Padres history by position.  That’s exactly what the Padres homepage is doing and I thought I’d [...]

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Nine Nine Nine

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In last year’s Rule V draft, the Padres selected an unknown middle infielder from the Rockies.  Since he was taken in the Rule V draft, the team was forced to play him all season or risk sending him back to the Rockies.  A daunting task for someone who never played above Class A.  He was [...]

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Ebay Win: 2009 Topps Chrome Blue Refractor Everth Cabrera Autograph

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My first Ebay win in quite a while and this one’s sweet.  The first two Padres players in the Hall of Fame, Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield, featured on an autographed card from Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classics.  Ok, so most baseball fans don’t automatically associate Dave Winfield with the Padres, but whatever.  Right now [...]

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Mailday: 2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classics Gwynn / Winfield Dual Signatures

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With football season fast approaching, I thought I should show off some of my favorite Charger cards.  Now, I’ve been a Chargers fan for most of my life.  And when I think of Charger Football, I always think back to the Air Coryell era.  Lots of points, tons of excitement.  Charlie Joiner, Wes Chandler, the [...]

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Collection Highlight – 1984 Topps Dan Fouts #180 “Instant Replay”

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Merriman’s back, Rivers has a new contract, and Ladainian might be healthier.  Can’t wait for the season to start.
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This post is licensed under a Creative Commons License.Another Chargers Season Upon Us

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Another Chargers Season Upon Us

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This seemed like a timely card to feature.  Jake Peavy’s 2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres card that I got autographed through the mail.
Since returning from my last underway almost a week ago, it has taken me a few days to digest the whole Jake Peavy trade.  Normally, we have email and limited internet availability at [...]

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Collection Highlight: 2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres Jake Peavy TTM Autograph

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It’s been quite a while since my last post.  I’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do. The hobby has had to take a back seat to a little thing called life.  Mainly, my work.  The summer schedule has been absolutely hectic.  The past several weeks have been full of training exercises, underways, [...]

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One Crazy Summer

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My ship just got back in this afternoon.  We went on a 25 hour underway which was both a) a nasty surprise to the crew and b) very tiring.  Out of 25 total hours at sea, I stood over 16 hours on watch so I am rather exhausted.  We had no internet available to us [...]

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Just Got Back to Some Surprising Headlines

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I got my hand on a hobby box of 2008 Sweet Spot and one of those Sweet Spot retail tins from Target.  It’s been a while since I opened a box so I’ve been getting the itch to bust something.
I’ll start off with the retail tin.  These sell for about $30 at target and offer [...]

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Box Break: 2008 Sweet Spot

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It’s been awhile since I’ve won anything from Ebay, so a few days ago I started bidding and won these two cards.  This year’s Goudey design has pretty much been destroyed in the blogosphere, but I’m still a fan of anything with on-card autographs.  Especially anything with Padres autographs.
Some good news [...]

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Mailday: 2009 Goudey Graphs Adrian Gonzalez & Matt Antonelli

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I’m in a 90’s kind of mood right now.  So I figure I’d spotlight a card that exemplified the craziness of the 90’s insert era.  Here’s Joey Hamilton’s card from the 1994 Flair ‘Wave of the Future” insert set.  This was a 20 card insert set that highlighted some of the game’s hottest young stars.  [...]

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Collection Highlight: 1994 Flair Wave of the Future Joey Hamilton

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Another duty day onboard the ship, another boring watch finished.  I’m up working late, so I figured I could surf the web for a bit to pass the time.
The losses keep piling up.   Jake Peavy pitches pretty decently, but as he put it,  “Just good enough to lose.”  The Friars have gone 4-17 in their [...]

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Thoughts on the Night Shift

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I completely forgot today’s significance, but 30 Year Old Cardboard was on point.  Tony Gwynn, aka Mr. Padre, turns 49 today.  Happy Birthday to a class act and the greatest to ever wear a Padres uniform.
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This post is licensed under a Creative Commons License.Mr. Padre Turns 49

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Mr. Padre Turns 49

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Ryan Klesko’s Topps Finest Refractor.  So very shiny:
I first became aware of Ryan Klesko back during the Padres fire sale of 1993.  (Wow, that’s over 15 years ago….I’m feeling older.)  Back then the team was being gutted and the likes of Gary Sheffield and Fred McGriff were being shopped around.   The Atlanta Braves were very [...]

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Collection Highlight: 2002 Topps Finest Ryan Klesko Refractor

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With the amateur draft almost a month away, I wanted to highlight a couple of prospects not named Stephen Strasburg. While I hope Scott Boras’ posturing will scare away the Nationals and Mariners, odds are that one of those teams will draft the best prospect ever.
So, who’s the best of the rest?   Even [...]

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Prospects Watch: Grant Green and Tyler Matzek

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Remember back in 2004 when Padre fans naively thought that we were set for the next 15 years at SS and 3B?  It was a euphoric period for the Padres.  They were in the midst of moving into their new downtown ballpark and they had a nucleus of solid young talent – Burroughs and Greene [...]

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Collection Highlight: 2004 Sweet Spot Khalil Greene and Sean Burroughs Diamond Duos

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Mr. Padre talks about his star pitcher.  How great he is, how he’s handled the pressure, etcetera, etcetera.  Gwynn’s take on all the attention surrounding Strasburg, clearly the top prospect in this year’s Amateur Draft:
If you don’t want all the attention then suck.
Speaking of the MLB Draft, it will be televised this year on the [...]

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Tony Gwynn Discusses Uber-Prospect Stephen Strasburg

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I was at the hobby store the other day and I broke down and purchased a pack/box of 2008 Ultimate Collection baseball.  Ultimate Collection is one of those “joe collector” type products – super expensive, guaranteed “hits”.   In this case, for well over $120 you get 4 cards – 3 base cards and 1 [...]

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Pack Break: 2008 Ultimate Collection baseball – Ron Santo

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I was very excited when I received this card in the mail today:
Why the excitement over a card featuring Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins?  Well my friends, I have now completed the 2008 Upper Deck set (cards 1-325).  I started working on the set back in September.  It began with a hobby box of 08 Upper [...]

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Set Building: 2008 Upper Deck Football – Update 6

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A success from one of my spring training TTM requests.  Courtesy of Mark Prior, who signed his 2005 Fleer Tradition card in blue ink.  The postmark came from Phoenix, where I’m guessing, Mr. Prior is continuing his rehab.  With the Padres weak starting pitching decimated by injuries, hopefully Mr. Prior can bounce back and give [...]

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Mailday: Mark Prior TTM Success

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The popular set is back for 2009.   The base set has been redesigned and looks really nice.  Like previous Allen & Ginter sets you’ll find rip cards, DNA cards, and the Ginter code.  Among the non-baseball autographs is Michael Phelps who signed some cards in gold ink.  Expected release date is July 2009.

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Video Preview: 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter

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Finally complete.  Never intended to do this, but it just happened to work out.  There were six Padres in this set, so I decided to try and spell ‘Padres’ using all six players.  From left to right:
P – Khalil Greene
A – Adrian Gonzalez
D – Kevin Kouzmanoff
R – Justin Hampson
E – Kevin Cameron
S – Chris Young
©2008 [...]

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P-A-D-R-E-S 2007 SP Authentics By The Letter Patches

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Coming out of Spring Training, I would have never imagined that the Friars would start off 8-3.  Nice start, and they’ve come through in the clutch too.  Two 6-5 wins in NY and the 8-7 comeback in Philly.  Jim Lefebvre just might be the answer to the Padres batting woes.  We’ll see what happens when [...]

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8-3 After Eleven Games!!!

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I got this card in a trade with a member from Trading Card Central.  I traded a couple of cards from my recent pack break of 08 Topps Mayo – the Donnie Avery autographed card and the Jonathan Stewart mini card.  Jersey cards are somewhat passe nowadays, but I liked that this one wasn’t a [...]

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Mailday: Ladainian Tomlinson 2008 Donruss Threads

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For a chance to win a free card from the 2009 Topps Heritage baseball set, here’s the address:
NPN 2009 Topps Heritage Baseball
PO Box 5176
Avoca, PA 18641
Unfortunately, this is open to U.S. and Canadian (except Quebec) residents only.  To enter, you must hand print your name and complete mailing address on a 3×5 index card and [...]

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No Purchase Necessary Information for 2009 Topps Heritage

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So the wife and I are walking through Target, just running a few errands. After several minutes of pestering and pleading, she relents and lets me buy a few packs. Like a kid who just received his allowance, I scan the card aisle to see what packs are at my disposal. Unfortunately, [...]

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Pack Break: 2009 Topps Heritage and 2008 Topps Mayo

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Another vintage card design from Topps.  This one looks promising.  It is Topps’ second football set of 2009, scheduled for a mid-June release.  It will feature the largest autograph set in Topps history – all 300 cards from the base set will have an autograph variation!  Also, look for hobby boxes to average 3 autographs [...]

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Video Preview: 2009 Topps Magic Football

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