2012 Gypsy Queen Review

Lest you think I’m a Gypsy Queen hater, I enjoyed last years GQ offering, so much so that  I’ve got last year’s set listed on my wantlist as “inquire” because I need so much of it and have so little to offer.  It was something of a sleeper hit in 2011, a release that no [...]

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I really didn’t mean to be away from here for the last two and half weeks. In fact, when I started blogging again (or is it again again?) in February, I was hoping that I could post around three times a week – Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – with the weekend off to refresh and [...]

Continue reading about Something new from ’62 »

Hey everybody!  Look what’s on the shelves of your local box store! And check out what it says at the top? It’s 40% extra value!  My own personal estimate was a measly 25% extra value, but when I saw the number was actually 40%, I couldn’t resist.  I bought them all. Actually I bought just [...]

Continue reading about Value! In a box! »

One thing that always amazes me in the speed in which some bloggers finish off the sets they collect. Already in the last month I’ve seen two or three posts about the completion of 2012 Topps Series 1 and one or two more regarding the completion of  some of the insert sets as well.  Meanwhile [...]

Continue reading about Trading with $30 a Week Habit »

I’ve never understood the hobby’s fascination with Topps Heritage. There, I’ve said it. While much of the blogging and hobby world seems to swoon when the first of the Heritage packs hit retail shelves and hobby stores across the country, I grab a handful of packs or a blaster and wait for the greatness to [...]

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I know you are dying to see the rest, so without further ado… #5 – John Jaso Why this card?  I’m not sure what it is about this card that draws me.  I’ve spent the last few hours staring at it off and on looking for inspiration, and while I like it every time I [...]

Continue reading about 2012 Topps Top Ten (so far), Pt 2 »

Okay, so it’s probably a bit early for this one since I’m still a Disney set of  dalmatians away from completion. So while I feel pretty good about my #1 and think my #2 will stay in the top three, it’s possible that by the time I finish this set my top ten will be [...]

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I like it when Topps (or anyone for that matter) designs a set that looks so bad I feel no desire at all to put it together. Here’s the base card design of that hot rookie, Troy Tulowitzkilss.  I’m sure the RC logo is just an oversight and will be removed before printing.  The choice [...]

Continue reading about First thoughts on 2012 Topps Finest »

I almost included this guy in my “more firsts” posts, but I didn’t want to alienate any Dodger fans with three Giants in a row.  And I thought it was a bit of a stretch to get from this card to where I wanted to go in just a sentence or two. That’s Brett Pill [...]

Continue reading about From Brett Pill to The Jam »

I didn’t mean to publish that last post without scanning this card and putting it in the appropriate place.  Then I hit publish anyway by mistake.  Oh well.  I contemplated editing it into the post after the fact and letting it go, but then I realized the appropriate place for this card is its own [...]

Continue reading about That 1981 Topps Brett card I mentioned »

Here’s some other firsts from my first packs of 2012 Topps. First fantasy player: I’ve made reference to my keeper league before here, so I won’t go into it again.  McCarthy had somehow ended up in the free agent pool last year, so I picked him up before his return from the DL.  Now he’s [...]

Continue reading about More firsts from my 2012 Topps with some second thoughts »

Yes, I know.  I’m late to the party. But since I didn’t have time to show up for the last six months or so, I’m happy just to be here right now with the time to do this. After reading other’s opinions of this year’s Topps release, I thought opening a 72 card retail box [...]

Continue reading about My first 2012 Topps card is… »

I know as a baseball fan I should get geeked out on pitchers and catchers reporting, but I don’t really start to get excited about the upcoming season until the MLB App is released. Today is that day. $15 bucks to listen to any game any day, a free game of the day to watch, [...]

Continue reading about One of the most exciting days in spring is here »

2010 Topps #1 2011 Topps #1 2012 Topps #1 Not Pictured – 1987 Topps mini inserts (#1 Ryan Braun), 2012 Topps Timeless Talents insert (#1 Molitor/Braun), 2011 Topps Marquee (#1 Ryan Braun) and 2011 Topps Triple Threads (#1 Ryan Braun). I’m sure I’m overly sensitive due to my team loyalty, but I hope this Brewer/Braun [...]

Continue reading about Please don’t make this a thing… »

So, yeah, I disappeared again, didn’t I.  Sorry about that.  Will you accept this Rose as part of my apology? I think the Reds failures last season coupled with the continuing failures of the economy really put an end to any collecting surge I had going.  And I managed to so overwhelm myself by trying [...]

Continue reading about An offering of Pete »

Was flipping through eBay as I contemplate spending money in the hobby again, and saw a number of “no name” errors.  I’ve always assumed these are when Topps keeps the press rolling but runs out of foil, and then quality control misses them. I’ve always sent these in to get them replaced, but apparently these [...]

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Source:
“It’s pretty ridiculous,” Schumaker told FOXSportsMidwest.com. “I have a shoe on my baseball card. And a squirrel. It’s pretty ridiculous.”
I’ve been fairly ambivalent about Topps’ gimmicks lately…

Continue reading about Preach it, brother »

Okay, that’s obvious hyperbole.  But it did wake me out of my posting slumber, so that’s something, right? Here it is: Classic requires drama, not biggest, best teams I think I understand what Gammons is trying to get at with this headline:  great games don’t require great teams.  And I’ll agree with that one.  I [...]

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So this is probably every Reds fan’s favorite card from this year,right?  Ah, happier times. Bruce made the Padres pay tonight after they decided to intentionally walk the go ahead run named Joey Votto.  Shortly after Padres announcer Dick Enberg said “that’s trouble” I was off the couch and jumping around the room.  The Reds [...]

Continue reading about BRUUUUUUUCE! »

Dropped the ball, dropped 7.5 games back. 2011 doesn’t appear to be the year of the repeat in Cincinnati.  I’m not giving up hope, but it is being stolen away from me while I sleep in the middle of the night. And if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, the answer is sick, watching kids, [...]

Continue reading about Oh, Ryan… »

Here you go.  I’ve had this pending to post for quite a while, but simply failed to get to it until now. And even though there seems to be an abundance of awkward card choices in this year’s Bowman set, this Trumbo is one of my favorites. It has the hopeless dejection of a strikeout [...]

Continue reading about 2011 Bowman wantlists »

So I thought with the looming Gint-a-Cuffs posts that would soon blanket the blogging world like a heatwave in the midwest I would take a break and return when the dust had settled and the champion had been crowned.  Everyone else would be so excited about framed relics, black bordered minis, and unannounced inserts like [...]

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Yeah, I know.  It’s an exciting time in the card collecting world.  Ginter will arrive soon, the code will be broken a week from now by the same guy that’s won the last two years, and we will all be up to our eyeballs and bored with it all in a fortnight. Except for me. [...]

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Is everyone tired of me posting just Reds lately?  Obviously I’m a fan and all, but I never thought this blog would get so Cincicentric like it has lately. I’m not going to lie to you – posts like this bore the hell out of me.  Reading them on other blogs, I mean, not typing [...]

Continue reading about Late night eBaying strikes again, and a discussion question for free »

I yoinked this off of eBay because I have none.  It’s newly called up rookie and now a starting SS Zack Cozart! Why did I pick the gold version?  Because I’m hoping he’s as good as gold of course.  Duh. Time for a Zack Attack!

Continue reading about Welcome to the bigs… »

It’s not that I don’t have anything to do. I still have about eight or nine stacks of cards to blog about on the old scanner most of which are about two weeks old, but they don’t seem to be going anywhere.  I have a bunch of series 2 cards that I bought two weeks [...]

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I started writing a post light night about my trade with Potch Wheeler.  It was a simple kinda post since I remain limited on time.  Still am.  But something struck me as I started to write about Scott Rolen and his drop off in production from the start of last year:  He’s the same age [...]

Continue reading about Gypsies, Potch Wheeler, and Me »

I’m realizing now that it’s been almost a week since I posted last. There’s been, as is typical when a blog goes dark for any period of time, a lot going on.  Because of this, I haven’t had a chance to scan anything new, including cards from a number of trades that I’ve completed, my [...]

Continue reading about Why not some Bowman Reds? »

One of the things I’ve been doing on the night shift is tracking the prices of some boxes I’ve been thinking about buying.  Here’s the prices from June 14th from Blowout Cards… 2011 Bowman Hobby – 72.95 Bowman Jumbo – 160.99 Gypsy Queen – 156.99 Topps Heritage 79.99 … and from this morning: 2011 Bowman [...]

Continue reading about What’s behind this? »

It’s funny where cards can lead you. Monday afternoon before I left for work I scanned a couple of cards I received from the DFG (who is not to be confused with Roald Dahl’s BFG, by the way).  It’s part of a somewhat massive haul of this year’s Bowman cards that he sent my way: [...]

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Who’s the most frustrating pitcher in the Reds rotation right now?  Most people would say Edinson Volquez, I suppose, with his electrifying stuff but his seeming inability to keep his head in the game.  I’d accept that as an answer without too much argument. My pick is tonight’s starter Travis Wood.  I can recall listening [...]

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Morrow had given up fifteen runs in his last three starts.  Tonight he’s given up only four hits.  Ugh. The jink is on!

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I last posted a Jay Bruce card on June 8th, and I was very reluctant to do so.  I was nervous about breaking the hot streak that he seemed to go on from the last time I posted one of his cards.  And since that June 8th post?  3/28 with no home runs.  Sorry to [...]

Continue reading about A random Jay Bruce card, part 2 »

I was posting about some sets that no one else seemed to be collecting out in the blogging world.  It was somewhat tongue in cheek, of course.  Obviously we all have different needs, and there are a number of people chasing sets that I would never dream of.  My main hope was that I would [...]

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I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve been going through the Sports Card Blogroll alphabetically in order to find trades. I’ve made it through about seventy blogs so far and been able to work out a trade with about 1/5 of the bloggers who are behind them.  And I’ve got one tip so far you, my [...]

Continue reading about Sometimes I feel alone… »