http://baseballcardblogs.org Posts from the Best Baseball Card Blogs on the Net Mon, 21 May 2012 22:41:12 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2012/04/repack-box-remorse-volume-3.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2012/04/repack-box-remorse-volume-3.html#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:55:00 +0000 GCA http://baseballcardblogs.org/?guid=0de116927628625ecf27bf45e01b6168
A collector friend who buys so much retail he should own stock in the store recommended the $20 Championship repack boxes to me.  So the last time I was in my local Wal-Mart, there wasn't much of anything else interesting, so I caved and got one. 

The Box

When I got it home, I expected the concealed innards to contain packs of ubiquitous junk wax to contrast the newer stuff that was mounted in the windows. 

The visible packs

What I found was an even worse abomination than just junk wax.  Inside were several "bundles" of junk wax cards that had apparently been created by a previous buyer* who must have returned the box to the store.  They were five card groups of 1987 Topps, 1989 Donruss, 1990 Donruss, 1990 Fleer, 1991 Topps, 1991 Upper Deck, and 1995 Fleer sealed in what looks like penny sleeves closed with a shrink wrap heat sealer.

The inside "wrappers"

I thought it was just a cheesy way to repack old cards.  My friend says that these boxes are usually all more recent packs, so I knew I got screwed.   To make matters worse, I got DUPES in the bundles and a couple of the packs.  The OPC Premier pack only had five cards in it.

Dupes from bundles (top row) and real packs (bottom row)

Needless to say, this tarnishes my desire to ever buy any more repacks, especially from that store.  I'll have to check if their shrink wrap has logos on it normally.  This box was one of only two left along with one football box.  No use trying to return it now, since I opened everything.  More trade fodder at best....



* [Sensitive readers go back to the text now] Previous buyer = fucking douchebag.

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/6814283094817449471/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2012/03/1990-91-topps-hockey.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2012/03/1990-91-topps-hockey.html#comments Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:53:00 +0000 shoeboxlegends http://baseballcardblogs.org/?guid=862ecc63ba4719517f1164feec962a5a I can't believe nothing's been posted here so far in 2012. Since I was picking up some supplies at the hobby shop yesterday I decided to grab a pack of 1990-91 Topps hockey to rip. As the final couple of weeks of the NHL season unravel it seemed like the perfect time for a pack of hockey cards. For 50 cents I got 14 base cards and a glossy Team Scoring Leaders insert. I've already got a factory set of this stuff kicking around somewhere, but I still need some of the glossy inserts so maybe I'll get lucky there. Here's what I got:

#360 - Kevin Stevens

I think this is a rookie card. Kevin looked like he was poised for stardom early on in his career, but in retrospect his early numbers were somewhat inflated due to playing on a line with Mario Lemieux. Stevens was a member of both Pittsburgh Cup-winning teams in the early '90s, and went on to play for Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia before returning to the Pens to finish his career.

I think the design on the fronts is half-way decent, but the backs are lacking as far as I'm concerned.

#157 - Tony Tanti

Unfortunately for Tony, he was traded during the '90-91 season to the Buffalo Sabres so he was not on Pittsburgh's roster when they captured the Cup in 1991.

#24 - Brent Ashton

Brent played for the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils, Minnesota North Stars, Quebec Nordiques, Detroit Red Wings, Winnipeg Jets, Boston Bruins, and the Calgary Flames in his NHL career. How's that for a resume?

#336 - Ray Ferraro

I was hoping to pull at least one Hartford Whaler. Not long after these cards came out Ferraro was dealt to the Islanders, where he would go on to have some pretty memorable playoff games. These days Ferraro works as a broadcaster for TSN...

#68 - Michal Pivonka

Pivonka defected to the United States from Eastern Europe to begin his NHL career, and was a lifelong Washington Capital. If Wikipedia can be trusted he's still the Capitals' career assist leader.

#32 - Allan Bester

#267 - Daniel Marois

Team Scoring Leaders #17 - Mario Lemieux

Great, this is one of the glossy Team Scoring Leaders inserts that I needed. Guess this pack was worth the price of admission after all. Without looking, can you guess who was second in team scoring for Pittsburgh in '89-90 behind Super Mario?

If you guessed defenseman Paul Coffey give yourself a pat on the back.

#376 - Dean Evason

Two Whalers, this pack was officially a win. Evason is now a coach in the Capitals organization.

#363 - Chicago Blackhawks Team Card

I always liked the horizontal team cards in this set. One of the last helmet-less players, Doug Wilson, is lurking in the background of this photo.

#190 - Randy Burridge

#193 - Mark Messier All-Star

Aside from the Lemieux insert, this is easily the best card in the pack. 25 years in the NHL and 6 Stanley Cup championships. The All-Star cards were a separate subset, so each player from the All-Star team has both a standard base card as well as an All-Star card.

#215 - Benoit Hogue

Most notable for being involved in the Pierre Turgeon/Pat LaFontaine swap between the Sabres and Islanders.

#251 - Edmonton Oilers Team Card

Headless Ray Bourque makes an appearance on this card.

#140 - Sean Burke

We finish the pack with Sean Burke, who would go on to be a longtime netminder for the Hartford Whalers.

For 50 cents I wasn't expecting much, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with this pack. A couple of Whalers and a Lemieux insert that I needed made it worthwhile. I opened so much of this stuff as a kid that it was fun to take a trip down memory lane as well.

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/3470221760168927843/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/12/2008-upper-deck-baseball-hobby.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/12/2008-upper-deck-baseball-hobby.html#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 14:43:00 +0000 Thorzul http://baseballcardblogs.org/?guid=9f10d4b333d1b82737027a8b51438ee7
Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
121 Fausto Carmona

82 Andy Sonnanstine
43 Buddy Carlyle
4 Justin Speier
281 Mark Buehrle
86 B.J. Upton
(Did you ever get a look at the back of this card? Everyone else's name on the back of their cards is written with colored print on top of a white drop shadow. On Upton's, the color starts to crap out at the period. I'll have to run a check to see if anyone else's is like that.)

203 Shane Youman
89 Josh Wilson (Future Brewer.)
11 Roy Oswalt
162 Mike Bacsik
84 Al Reyes
42 Chuck James

81 James Shields
159 Damion Easley
369 Jake Peavy (I've probably pulled this card eight times. and I've opened maybe seven packs.)
306 Jerry Blevins
387 Fred Lewis Season Highlights
324 Joe Koshansky
360 Eric Byrnes

OPC-ER Edgar Renteria O-Pee-Chee

Not an amazing pack, by any means, but still the best photography of any set since I've gotten back into the hobby.

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/7306718147709528521/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/11/1996-upper-deck-johnny-quest.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/11/1996-upper-deck-johnny-quest.html#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:03:00 +0000 Thorzul http://baseballcardblogs.org/?guid=73569cf9ad52f2665484576696b7955f Johnny Quest. The original series aired in 1964-65, and probably lived on through the 1970s through reruns. This was followed decades later by The New Adventures of Johnny Quest, which theoretically should have been on my radar, but wasn't, probably because the series lasted only 13 episodes. The the time the series on which this pack of cards was based, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, was on television, I was nearly finished with high school, and the only cartoons I watched were The Simpsons and Space Ghost Coast to Coast. This pack of cards is as problematic as the final TV series. I'm familiar with the broad outline of the show, but none of its intricacies. Adult Swim meta-cartoons have provided much of my knowledge of Hanna-Barbera staples, namely the simmering undercurrent of homosexual tension between Benton Quest and Race Bannon.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
26 Dr. Jeremiah Surd
Good God, these cards are a mess! I cannot tell you how difficult it was for me to identify the subject of each card. With no fewer than seven separate places for text on the front of the card, the design seemed to combine early Geocities elements with a seventh grader's myspace page circa 2005. I don't know where to look, and I feel defeated.

35 Dr. Jeremiah Surd (???) Again?
I'm not sure if this card is part of the base set or not. It doesn't seem to be one of the listed inserts, but the card numbering is of a different style than the first one. Surd's profile is on the back, but we have this URL group shot on the front. I want to track down a laserdisc of this show so I can unscramble my brain.

22 Hadji
Back to the base design, I see. Hadji is a familiar main character, albeit with a rebooted wardrobe. The post-1993 WTC bombing environment most likely dictated a turban-free cartoon. Also clearly a Power Rangers derived look.

HC2 Hadji's Clues - Courage Overcomes Fear
If I rub off a portion of the back of this card, I'll get a clue that will help me while I play the Johnny Quest CD-ROM Adventure. I'm not falling for that one. (Turns out I was wrong on the turban thing, too.) Odds on this insert were 1:5.

47 Villain ^2 -- Ezekiel Rage / Dr. Jeremiah Surd
All Surd, all the time baby!

44 Tools of the Trade - Surd's High-Tech Wheelchair
Seriously, I cannot get away from this guy. And another design shift. Can anyone tell me what the base design even is? I give up. Just watch Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. At least that has more Race Bannon than this pack.

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/7792711641864199373/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2007-upper-deck.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2007-upper-deck.html#comments Sun, 22 May 2011 09:09:00 +0000 Thorzul
The long, arduous journey comes to a close today with the only pack worthy of the closing ceremonies: 2007 Upper Deck Series 2.
After all, for a blog whose purpose is to open and showcase packs of trading cards, it is certainly fitting that the final pack would be one that serves no other purpose other than to be opened for others to see. Which brings up the philosophical question: Does this blog exist because of this pack, or does this pack exist because of this blog?

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
747 Emil Brown

571 Danys Baez
921 Barry Zito

799 Kevin Mench

654 Joe Borowski

Isn't it great to see the Toxic Avenger signing autographs for the kids?

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/8612867648081358939/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2007-topps-series-2.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2007-topps-series-2.html#comments Sat, 21 May 2011 19:36:00 +0000 Thorzul
Top to Bottom:
567 Chris Stweart (RC)
520 Adam Dunn

546 Orlando Cabrera
MMS29 Mickey Mantle Story

412 Gerald Laird
384 Alex Gonzalez

Yep, got 'em all, including the Mickey Mantle Story card. I finished that insert a long time ago. Not sure why. It's not like I snuggle up near the fireplace on a cold January evening reading the backs of those cards like a novel.

One pack to go and Repack Resurrection is over!

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/2611409508001460256/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2007-topps-opening.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2007-topps-opening.html#comments Sat, 21 May 2011 10:31:00 +0000 Thorzul
Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
217 Andre Ethier
146 Alex Rios
6 Adrian Gonzalez
31 Chad Tracy
25 Chipper Jones
136 Chris Capuano

What a miserable pack of junk.

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/5243832748052441780/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2009-upper-deck_20.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2009-upper-deck_20.html#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 21:34:00 +0000 Thorzul
With a four-card pack, there's not a whole heckuva lot to write about. To keep things interesting, I will share my favorite thing about each card.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
75 Carlton Fisk
Favorite Thing: The funky design element behind those red red socks

102 Curtis Granderson
Fave: Flip-ups

66 Buffalo Bill Cody Mini
Fave: The push-broom 'stache/wily Van Dyke combo and the 5"x7" picture frame belt buckle (tie)

62 Yogi Berra
Yogi's disproportionately small head.

Four cards per pack? No wonder I didn't buy this stuff.

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/6364020834198327221/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/2006-topps-52-rookies.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/2006-topps-52-rookies.html#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 01:55:00 +0000 Thorzul
As with any five-year-old pack of a rookie-centric set, it's probably a good idea to track down each of the players in order to gauge the success of that pack. We shall do the same tonight.

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
212 Paul Hoover
Since his old Marlins days (and his really old Devil Rays days in '01 and '02), Hoover got picked up by the Phillies for a few games in both 2009 and 2010. He is currently in the Red Sox minor league system.

24 Matt Smith
Matt last played in MLB with the Phillies in 2007 and was released by the Cubs organization after spring training '09.

184 Nick Masset
Masset is currently a reliever for the Cincinnati Reds.

DD14 Dynamic Duos Melky Cabrera/Jeff Karstens
Karstens is a starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cabrera is enjoying a .267 batting average with the Royals. There was a rumor following the 2008 season that the Brewers were going to try to deal Mike Cameron to the Yankees for Melky, but it never materialized.

93 Ty Taubenheim
Taubenheim last played in the bigs with Pittsburgh in 2008, and was released just before the start of the season by the Rangers. The back of Ty's card alerts readers to a "staph injury" suffered in 2006. Not staph infection, staph injury. Weird.

137 Wil Nieves
Wil is a backup catcher with my Brewers this season. He is splitting time with George Kottaras and isn't seeing a lot of action because starter Jonathan Lucroy is tearing it up.

Good pack, nothing to write home about. I'm giving it a B-.

]]> http://apackaday.blogspot.com/feeds/7315663217894637411/comments/default 0 http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2007-fleer.html http://apackaday.blogspot.com/2011/05/repack-resurrection-2007-fleer.html#comments Thu, 19 May 2011 04:23:00 +0000 Thorzul
2007 Fleer... its last year as a baseball brand. You tend to find a lot of '07 Ultra in repack boxes and as discounted loosies, but regular Fleer not so much. How will this pack turn out?

Let's tear in.

Top to Bottom:
307 Marcus Giles

223 Carlos Guillen
181 Juan Rivera
141 Justin Morneau
218 Joel Zumaya Mini Die-Cut

358 Fred Lewis (RC)
336 Alexi Casilla (RC)
RS-FL Francisco Liriano Rookie Sensations

7 Ryan Zimmerman
YR-AP Albert Pujols Year in Review

This pack gets an A-. The only thing holding it back was no Brewers. Plus, you have to leave a little wiggle room at the top of the grading scale for possible relic cards or autographs. I'd say that two inserts and a parallel make this a very nice pack, with Pujols to boot. And the Liriano insert makes this even better than it would have been a couple of weeks ago. Both of these inserts highlight Fleer's dominance over Topps when it came to inserts in 2007:
Rookie Sensations > Generation Next
Year in Review > Any one of the endless Mantle mirrors

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