on March 11th, 2010 by Newspaperman
For weeks, I’d been itching to get back to one of my local card shops to dig through their vintage bargain bins. The Topps Million Giveaway promotion has rejuvenated my love for the old, smelly cards. So instead of paying inflated prices for a cardboard lottery ticket hoping to get something made before 1970, I [...]
Continue reading about A 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle for $5? Whaaaat »
Tags:
baseball,
brooks robinson,
Harvey Haddix,
Memo Luna,
Mickey Mantle,
new york yankees,
Newspaperman,
old baseball cards,
Rookie Card Showcase,
Topps,
Topps Million Giveaway,
Yogi Berra
Posted in Baseball Cards, Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on March 10th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Today was indeed a good day to look in my mailbox. Two TTM successes today, Pirates catching prospect Tony Sanchez, the No. 4 pick in the 2009 draft. And 2009 National League Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, twice. The Coghlan’s are awesome. Perfect ink, and no creases in the cards.
Over the last few years [...]
Continue reading about Two more TTMs received including a Rookie of the Year »
Tags:
autographs,
baseball,
Chris Coghlan,
sports,
spring training,
Tony Sanchez,
TTM,
ttm success
Posted in Baseball Cards, Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on March 10th, 2010 by Newspaperman
When news came out Wednesday that Nomar Garciaparra was announcing his retirement, I echoed the sentiment that many others had — didn’t he already leave the game?
Fact is Nomar Garciaparra has been a shell of his former self for much of the last decade, thanks in large part to a string of injuries that led [...]
Continue reading about Is newly retired Nomar Garciaparra a Hall of Famer? »
Tags:
Alex Roriguez,
baseball,
Boston Red Sox,
Hall Of Fame,
MLB,
Newspaperman,
Nomar Garciaparra,
sports,
Steroids
Posted in Baseball Cards, Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on March 9th, 2010 by Newspaperman
After much searching, it appears that the 2010 Topps Heritage Blasters have started to arrive in retail stores. I found two at a Wal-Mart in the San Francisco Bay Area (southeast Fremont). Out of the two blasters I managed to pull two relics (Cristian Guzman Clubhouse Collection jersey and Brooks Robinson Flashbacks stadium seat) and [...]
Continue reading about 2010 Topps Heritage Blasters are LIVE »
Tags:
baseball,
Box / Pack Break,
Mickey Mantle,
sp,
sports,
Super Short Sprint,
Topps,
Zack Greinke
Posted in Baseball Cards, Cardboard Icons, Topps Heritage
Comments Off
on March 2nd, 2010 by Newspaperman
After taking a year off, I’ve decided to send out a slew of TTM (Through The Mail) requests this spring training. I’ve got four batches out to a random mix of players, some guys who more than likely will not sign and a few others who probably will. As is the case with everything, you [...]
Continue reading about My 2010 Spring Training TTM request list »
Tags:
baseball,
Jason Heyward,
Newspaperman,
stephen strasburg,
Topps,
TTM,
ttm success
Posted in Baseball Cards, Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 27th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Tags:
baseball,
Boston Red Sox,
cancer,
Jimmy Fund,
Newspaperman,
spring training,
Ted Williams,
The Jimmy Fund,
ttm success
Posted in Baseball Cards, Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 25th, 2010 by Newspaperman
For a company whose reputation was initially built on the success of its bubblegum, Topps really has failed to build on its empire in recent years, especially as it pertains to its candy inserted in Topps Heritage products.
I’ve already written my review of the Topps Heritage baseball card set (LINK), but I did not mention [...]
Continue reading about Dear Topps: Your bubblegum still sucks (2010 Topps Heritage) »
Tags:
baseball,
Bazooka,
bubble gum,
Newspaperman,
Topps
Posted in Baseball Cards, Cardboard Icons, Topps Heritage
Comments Off
on February 25th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Damnit.
Damnit. Damnit. Damnit.
Every February I say these very words to myself because Topps really knows what they are doing. Just when baseball fans are craving the sport the most, the New York company releases its second product of the year, Topps Heritage, and sends the market into a frenzy. The set is always enticing to [...]
Continue reading about 2010 Topps Heritage Break and Review »
Tags:
Babe Ruth,
baseball,
Box / Pack Break,
MLB,
Newspaperman,
Topps
Posted in Baseball Cards, Cardboard Icons, Topps Heritage
Comments Off
on February 23rd, 2010 by Newspaperman
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 19th, 2010 by Newspaperman
The hobby has been set ablaze again by Topps.
The company’s Million Card Giveaway has gained national media attention which has driven up the prices of unused redemption cards on eBay. One lot of 120 codes recently sold for nearly $300.
If you’re new to the Topps Million Card Giveaway, basically Topps inserted code cards one in [...]
Continue reading about A little perspective for the Topps Million Giveaway fanatics »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 16th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Jimmie was a sly Foxx.
I have finally obtained the final piece of this 17-card set, completing a task that I set out to conclude nearly 18 months ago. The set is by no means super scarce. The cards are readily attainable by going to eBay and plunking them one by one, or in lots, but [...]
Continue reading about Finally, 2008 Ginter ‘Baseball Icons’ completed! »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 15th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Yes, I know the Topps Web site has been a huge pain in the ass today, but one has to admit it is pretty fun to enter a code into a Web site and see what card you’ve unlocked.
I know a lot of us are getting a handful of commons from sets made within the [...]
Continue reading about Topps Million Card Giveway Is Pure Fun »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 11th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 11th, 2010 by Newspaperman
So I tried to stay away from 2009 Bowman Draft as I’ve been bitten in the ass way too many times by draft products. But after hearing that the retail version of this product seemed to be loaded, how could I resist. PLUS, those pretty purple refractors caught my eye. Yes, I called a baseball [...]
Continue reading about 2009 Bowman Draft Baseball retail packs loaded? »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 10th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 9th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 5th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 5th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on February 4th, 2010 by Newspaperman
I arrived home Wednesday evening to a surprise: a Through The Mail success from 1998 American League Rookie of the Year Ben Grieve. Growing up in the Bay Area, I remember the few good seasons Grieve had with the Oakland Athletics. For a good while it appeared that Grieve was going to be a solid [...]
Continue reading about TTM Success: Ben Grieve »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on January 26th, 2010 by Newspaperman
Tomorrow marks the 40th day since I last opened a pack of baseball cards. It’s pretty big milestone for a guy who at times can be addicted to ripping packs and thumbing through new baseball cards. But I know that tough times are ahead as 2010 Topps baseball has already started to hit the market.
But [...]
Continue reading about Living a fantasy »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on January 20th, 2010 by Newspaperman
With a wink, corny smile and a thumbs up, Sammy Stewart etched his place in cardboard collecting history. This 1988 Fleer Stewart card has always made me laugh. But it was not until recently that I tried to figure out a way to bring this card into the mainstream, maybe turn it into this hobby’s [...]
Continue reading about No Laughing Matter: Former MLB Pitcher in Jail »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on January 16th, 2010 by Newspaperman
So the other day while browsing eBay, I stumbled upon a 1954 Topps Ted Williams card I needed for my Red Sox Collection and Topps Number Ones collections. I always wanted this card, but because it is Ted Williams, because it is a 1954 Topps card and because it is the first card in the [...]
Continue reading about Classic example of eye appeal meaning everything »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on January 14th, 2010 by Newspaperman
I didn’t live a single minute of the 1970s, but for whatever reason I find the entire decade intriguing. From the music, cars and television, to the quaffed hair and abundance of denim and polyester, the era before my birth has captured my imagination. What was it really like to live during this time, when [...]
Continue reading about Thrift Treasures Part XXIII: I (HEART) the ’70s! »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on January 12th, 2010 by Newspaperman
My jaw dropped, my heart skipped a beat; for a few seconds I wondered if someone had sent the Associated Press a false statement reportedly on behalf of Mark McGwire. But within minutes, it became increasingly clear. This was not a joke: Mark McGwire was admitting to using steroids.
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay [...]
Continue reading about For McGwire, the past has become the present and future »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on January 11th, 2010 by Newspaperman
I am so close, I can taste it. When 2008 Allen & Ginter’s baseball hit the market nearly two years ago, there was one insert set I absolutely geeked over — the Baseball Icons inserts. These mini inserts exemplify all that is good about the hobby. No foilboard, serial numbering or flashy design. Just an [...]
Continue reading about Oh, Jimmie Foxx, where art thou? »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on January 5th, 2010 by Newspaperman
For the last two weeks I have been seeking and not finding a particular card that I wanted to put in my display case. It was a beauty I thought I had displayed here before, a 1951 Bowman Roy Campanella. A card like this should not get lost in someone’s collection, right? I mean it’s [...]
Continue reading about The Case of the Missing Roy Campanella »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on December 31st, 2009 by Newspaperman
It’s been a crazy decade to say the least. I’ve gone from a struggling lowly college student spending all of his money on cards from three sports, to a husband and father who enjoys buying only baseball cards. But the journey to where I am today has been a fun one. Here is a quick [...]
Continue reading about This Decade in Baseball Card Collecting »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on December 30th, 2009 by Newspaperman
This is part 20 of an ongoing series. To see the rest of this series, click here.
Bob Cerv was a Yankee at three times in his career, briefly replaced Mickey Mantle during the Hall of Famer’s rookie season, and in his first year as a starter away from New York, excelled by smashing 38 homers, [...]
Continue reading about Rookie Card Showcase: 1953 Topps Bob Cerv »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off
on December 30th, 2009 by Newspaperman
Snagged these new Topps Number One cards for my collection over the last few days. The William Harridge card is by far my favorite, probably because it’s oversized and colorful … plus it’s not something you see everyday. Have a look at the rest of the Number Ones collection. Got something I don’t? I’m interested. [...]
Continue reading about We’re Number One! »
Posted in Cardboard Icons
Comments Off