Live Blogging At The National!!!

Update: 1:29 pm CST

I am now at the Topps booth. It's set up like a stadium with a lot of interactive events going on, including a 30-person competition to find a golden ticket and win an actual card. The last person won a graded 3 Walter Payton Rookie.

Passing by what appears to be the "rip a pack, get a National Exclusive" line, Topps has displayed their Topps 75 iconic cards. They're thes presented on their Ripped blog earlier this year. Don't get why Ohtani's 2018 Topps Update Rookie Debut card is among them instead of his rookie card from S2, but I didn't make thr picks.

I did find another booth with insert cards, but their 2026 cards were lacking. I did spend a buck on a Chase DeLauter 1991 card, so the want list is down to 17.

Will hang here for a bit. 

Update: 12:26 pm CST

Success. Found my favorite dealer from the regular Chicagoland Sports Spectacular. One of the few people left who will open product and keep everything organized by set. This is my kind of dealer. Of the 65 cards in my Series 2 insert want list, he had 47 of them. For $115, I have now completed both the First Pitch and 1991 All-Star sets, and now only need 6 of the 1991 cards, 6 Crooked Numbers, and 6 Glove Works.

Now the challenging part: finding other dealers who might have these available. This is going to be interesting. 

Update: 11:30 am CST

Just watched a few minutes of the Women who Collect panel on the second floor. Friend of the blog Sooz (Susan Lulgjuraj...aka yanxchick...aka...one-half of A Cardboard Problem) was on the panel. 

Other than that, second floor had some interesting booths. The Lids booth had loose S2 cards including a couple of 1991 All-Stars mixed in. Unfortunately, I have both, so the hunt continues. On to the main floor.

Update: 11:00 am CST

Paid my 30 bucks and have my bracelet. I'm good to go. I brought $400 with me. I don't pman in spending all of it. But I know what I am here for. If anyone is actually reading this and want to find me. I am wearing a black Homage Topps 75 Diamond shirt with a blue shoulder bag. Time to go.

It is now 10:51 AM Central standard time and I am walking through the Donald Stevens convention center getting onto the escalator to stand in line and buy my ticket to the Greatest Show on Earth.

No, not the circus...although the atmosphere here is circus-like. But the National Sports Collectors Convention. 

Better get into the cash line. The lines are long but moving quickly. There are already boiths up here on the second floor. I'll check these out first. Wish me luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama 

Preparing for the National Sports Collectors Convention

It's been a hot moment, hasn't it?

Catching up to all the work that was on my desk when I returned from Texas took a bit (and I'm still digging through). But it also means I haven't posted in more than a week, and while there was so much material I had for writing (more trading adventures), there just wasn't enough time in the day.

But tomorrow is an important day. 

First, my wife and I will have been married for 28 years tomorrow. I love my wife. Through good and bad (and there has been a lot of both), our marriage has remained strong. And while we've gotten older (and are feeling this, trust me), it has evolved to something that is...not going through the motions per se...but because the kids are now adults (mind-blown), the adventures we had when they were younger are now memories and we look forward to time at home instead of running around following either or both of their schedules.

Now that doesn't mean that we've stopped that...heck no. But we can now be a bit more selective as to when, where, and how quickly we can get ready than before.

Back to the point.

So while tomorrow morning, my wife and I will have breakfast somewhere, after that is done, she is dropping me off...

AT THE NATIONAL!!!

The National Sports Collectors Convention that is. For the second year in a row, the convention is down the street from the house. And I took the day off, not just to spend time with my wife, but to go to see the sites, sounds, and atmosphere of what is the biggest event of the Hobby.

I do plan on buying cards at the show as I still have 65 insert cards left on my wantlist for 2026 Topps Series 2:

• 17 1991 Topps
• 13 1991 Topps All-Stars
• 10 Crooked Numbers
• 3 First Pitch
• 22 Glove Work

And then there are any other cards that catch my eye, but are not high on the priority list. The chances of finding any of those are not the best as many vendors at the National don't focus on current stuff unless it's still sealed and the few that do have their cards thrown in random places. Maybe a handful of booths will separate their cards by year, but good luck finding them in the chaos.

I do plan on stopping by the Topps booth (I have to...) along with the "Museum" that I happened to see on a YouTube (or was it Facebook) video. I love that kind of stuff and will take pics of those displays. But beyond eBay, I might steer clear of the corporate area. 

I will be there wearing the black Topps 75 shirt so I fit in with the crowd. If I can find my old Topps baseball cap, I'll throw that on too (although the last I saw it, the thing needed a wash). 

Before, I'd carry a bag with boxes of recent year base cards. But the bag was always heavy, and any plans of trading at the show would come up empty. So this year, I'll probably pack lightly, bringing a small binder with just the insert sets so I can add new cards to it right away. Maybe bring this year's extras in the event I am able to find people willing to trade (or buy...I'm not picky). Maybe I'll bring in the box that has all my relic and auto cards to see if I can unload some of them. Maybe I'll bring along my box full of unopened 2018 packs...maybe not...

I can't wait for the show. I do plan on live-blogging the experience. 

And maybe...just maybe...I'll find everything I need to complete Series 2. 

Wish me luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Adventures in Trading: Would This Count as a Trade, or a Giveaway???

We just returned from our trip to San Antonio, TX. Let me tell you, the heat that we were expecting showed up for one day, but the rest of the time, it rained. And rained. And rained. The heat, apparently, went on vacation as well, going north while we headed south.

All kidding aside, the reason why we went to San Antonio was for a family conference, one I will be discussing on this humble, little blog before August (big reason why will be announced soon). 

When not taking part of the official events, I did a few Hobby related things. As mentioned (ad nauseum), I did bring a binder of 2026 Topps (not the 6-inch...a smaller one) and finally had time to add the 350 cards from Series 2 into pages. On Tuesday, the 15th, the family and I went to Target to buy a few things for the conference. More importantly, I did buy a few packs of Series 2, including a megabox of All-Star Game product. I said I wouldn't previously, but in honor of the Game, I thought, "what the heck, why not?" There were two boxes. I picked one, left the other, grabbed 2 loose packs (it's Target, they have that limit thing), and a retail box and moved on (this second megabox will be discussed later on in this story).

Hanging out in the hotel lobby, I had my 75th Anniversary Topps shirt on (the shirt arrived before we finished packing last week, so in it went into the suitcase), the 2-inch binder of cards (which did have the All-Stars in separate pages...which were returned to their respective pages once the game was over), and the megabox. Some members of the conference came by, saw the baseball cards, and then started talking about their memories of collecting when they were much younger. It was nice hearing stories about what they used to collect, the usual sob stories about their cards being tossed once they left home, and even some people said they were collectors too and wanted to talk about their current collections. 

Which leads me to realizing that it is hard to talk to people about, well most hobbies, because we don't know if the person we're talking about can relate. But to see the look on people's faces and how their tone of voice changes once they realize that the person they're talking to shares a common interest, they suddenly look a whole lot lighter, they smile as they share their stories and even when they talk about what is currently in their collections. Heck, even young lady (yes, ladies too) said that she managed to get a "decent-sized" collection of 1957 Topps cards (or was it 1955...) at an estate sale for $5.00 if she could name the players. She apparently did, and purchased the lot. She also said that she knew someone who used to work for the Company and even had an uncirculated sheet of cards. Needless to say, we exchanged Facebook information and I will have to reach out and ask her for pictures of the sheet as I am truly interested in what she has.

The game was...okay. The NL lost (again) Miguel Vargas put the game on ice with a towering home run. The pitching on both sides was great, shutting down pretty much everyone...except for the hometown pitcher who started. I don't know if it was nerves, but Christopher Sanchez really struggled out there in that first inning. I hadn't seen that kind of first-inning jitters (if it can be called that) since Tim Lincecum in 2009. At least PCA got a hit.

Back to the point.

While sitting there opening packs, a family with two kids sat next to me. I know the family as my wife and his wife became good friends after a previous conference and subsequent visits from them to Chicago. I gave the father two packs of retail that I bought along with the box, and the kids had fun. I did make a trade offer with one of the kids for a Reggie Jackson 1991 All-Star card that he pulled in exchange for a Frank Thomas 1991 All-Star card that I had just added to the TCDB trade/sell list. 

Wednesday the 16th, families had more free time as the presentation portion of the conference was starting to wind down and apparently one gentleman I talked to in the lobby the night before went to the same Target I visited and BOUGHT THE OTHER MEGABOX. He offered me the base cards that he got from the box, which was a very kind gesture on his part (explanation to come as to why in a moment). After opening my box and pulling out some inserts, I wondered if this same person would be interested in trading for some insert cards. I did have some decent pulls, and took a shot. He agreed.

We met back at the lobby, showed me what he had, I showed him what I could offer...

And he just said to take what I needed, nothing needed to be traded!!!

I was stunned.

The guy spent $40-something bucks on this mega box and offered to give me the entire contents of it.

The cards I needed are below. The other cards he gave me are in a box somewhere that I still need to unpack from my luggage.

A Max Muncy 1991 Relic plus the eight cards to pare down the wantlist of 2026 S2 Inserts

I think this would count as a giveaway, but I was trying to be fair and offered what I had in exchange, and he said no. As to why he would just agree to give these away without an exchange, he explained that yes, he collects. He has a Michael Jordan collection of over 600 plus cards, plus a collection of cards from every sport (a Shohei Ohtani 50/50 card serial numbered was one of the highlights I could remember) and even Pokémon (which he collects with his son). He loves opening packs and pulling hits, but in the end, prefers to give the cards to people who could use them more. He doesn't give out cards because of "lack of value" or whatever, he does this because he enjoys doing it. I have great respect for this guy now. I told him that I was going to the National, and promised that if I found a good Jordan that I'd message him.

The Chase for 600 cards now is now down to 135:

• 5 First Pitch cards (found Jerry Seinfeld in a pack)
• 18 Crooked Numbers cards
• 37 Glove Works cards
• 36 1991 Series 2 cards
• 28 1991 All-Star cards
• 2 Stars of MLB (Sal Stewart and Brady House)
• 1 Titans of Baseball (Francisco Lindor)
• 4 short-printed rookies (card #'s 697-700)
• 4 factory set exclusive rookies (card #'s 697-700)

Upon my return, I see that I have a couple of trade offers. Need to look into those and if trades are accepted, I'll post them here.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And Now, Your Starting Lineups…

As announced at All-Star Media Day: 

For the American League:

1. Mike Trout, LAA, cf
2. Yordan Alvarez, HOU, dh
3. Shea Langeliers, ATH, c
4. Junior Caminero, TBR, 3b
5. Bobby Witt Jr, KCR, ss
6. Cody Bellinger, NYY, rf
7. Ben Rice, 1b, NYY
8. Riley Greene, DET, lf
9. Ernie Clement, TOR, 2b

And the National League:

1. Kyle Schwarber, PHI, dh
2. Juan Soto, NYM, lf,
3. Freddie Freeman, LAD, 1b
4. CJ Abrams, WSH, ss
5. Max Muncy, LAD, 3b
6. Ozzie Albies, ATL, 2b
7. Brandon Marsh, PHI, rf
8. Andy Pages, LAD, cf
9. Drake Baldwin, ATL, c

The starting pitchers for the 96th ASG are Dylan Cease of the Blue Jays and Cristopher Sánchez of the Phillies.

Enjoy the game everyone.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Thank You Topps Bunt for Making Cards of the Cardless All-Stars

Thanks to Topps Bunt, we don't have to wait for Update Series cards (or retail team cards) of the 9 All-Stars who did not have cards in either Series of the eponymous brand. 

For those who have the Topps Bunt app, people can purchase virtual packs of cards that include an insert card (or two) of the original 65 All-Stars selected on the 4th of July. Included in this set are the five players who were not in either series. 

So, if you want to print these images and add them to your ASG binder before the big game...

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Max Meyer

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Travis Bazzana

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Bryan Baker

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Jacob Latz

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Louis Varland

Not included in the selection is Tigers’ rookie Kevin McGonigle as he HAS a card, albeit short-printed.

Update: 7:00 pm CST

The game is just about to start. And Topps Bunt has the added the Player Replacement set online. 

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Willson Contreras

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Nick Martinez

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Tristan Peters

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Foster Griffin

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Iván Herrera

2026 Topps Bunt ASG Riley O’Brien

Thank you Topps Bunt.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Did the Hobby Box Break Get Me the 43 Cards to Finish Series 2??!

When last we looked at the results of my retail packaged 769-base card sorting, I found I had 307 of the 350 cards needed to complete the Series 2 set. I was left needing 43 cards to finish the set. I had five retail packs that I had not opened plus the full jumbo box to break. My recent history with this kind of luck was screaming, "No, you will not finish this set after you open the Hobby box. Prepare to beg for trades on TCDB and possibly Facebook." But, I clearly believed I had a shot at it.

So when my family went to my sister's house for the 4th of July festivities, I brought the Hobby box and after food was served and conversations kept going (the rain may have been a factor as well), I decided to go inside and open the 10 packs to try my luck.

To review, the list below contains the 43 cards I needed to complete S2. Plenty of eventual 2026 All-Stars on this list (Adley Rutschman, Juan Soto, Ernie Clement, Jordan Walker), the Rays, Giants, Marlins, and White Sox team cards, the Jack Dreyer ASRT card, a lone Cubs card (Justin Steele)...

Back to the point.

Let's just say that after the first look at what was inside, I was already worried. 

Because one of the packs looked pretty thin for a jumbo pack. Could this mean that I may have pulled huge relic card, thick enough to remove almost everything??!

No. The pack that should have had 40 cards in it only held 26. Panic was starting to creep in.

To alleviate the pit in my stomach, I first opened the bonus packs of 1991 Topps Chrome cards.

Pack 1:

• #91C2-35 Tatsuya Imai
• #91C2-37 Samuel Basallo
• #91ASC-30 Freddie Freeman
• #91ASC-26 Pete Crow-Armstrong

Pack 2:

• #91C2-48 Lawrence Butler
• #91C2-11 Kyle Schwarber
• #91ASC-34 Ronald Acuña Jr.
• #91ASC-13 Ichiro

Thoughts: pretty good packs. Balanced between the regular 1991 cards and the All-Star cards. And yes, a PCA All-Star card among the 8. Can't complain. Will add all to the trade/sell list. Maybe keep PCA though.

So with the anxiety already starting, I started opening each pack. Here were the results:

Pack 1: 394, 470 408

Eric Wagarman of the Twins, Brandon Nimmo of the Rangers, and the Rays team card. Okay, not too bad a start. I figured that most of what I was missing would be clumped together in a group. Think of it this way. If you opened packs of 1989 Topps and found a Chris Sabo, you will 99% for sure get the Mark Grace card behind it.

Back to the story.

Pack 2: 664, 390, 600

Jayden Murray of the Astros, Jack Dreyer of the Dodgers, and Juan Soto of the Mets. Another trio grouped together in the pack. Okay, this is consistent. Six cards down, 37 to go. Crossing fingers. 

Pack 3: nothing

This was the infamous 26-card pack. My first thought was, "If I don't manage to complete this set, I am definitely calling Topps to complain."

Pack 4: 422, 499, 486, 520, 460

Now we're getting somewhere. Five cards, a trio and a pair. And with the Steele card in hand, I have the full Cubs set for the year.

Pack 5: nothing

At this point, it was a nice run. But based on the first four packs, only a miracle could complete this set.

Pack 6: 480, 382, 539, 565, 578, 430, 571, 621, 696, 580, 634, 522, 375

Cue the miracle. Thirteen cards out of 40 in the pack. With 24 cards now in hand, the odds of getting the remaining 19 started to look pretty good.

Pack 7: 592, 661, 523, 684, 505, 663, 579

This definitely helped. Seven more cards to bring the needs pile down to 12. The pack even included the guaranteed relic card, 

Momentum was shifting, disaster starting to feel averted.

Pack 8: nothing

Cue the disaster. The only saving grace of this pack was that it contained the auto. Okay, it was a redemption card for a 1991 Topps card. Of Samuel Basallo from the Orioles. Which I have 10 years to redeem.

Pack 9: 562, 501, 655, 429, 610

Okay. Five more cards. With 36 cards after 9 packs, and one pack to go. I need 7...SEVEN cards to complete the set. Time to clench.

Pack 10: 

546 Nick Fortes, Rays

414 Andy Pages, Dodgers

564 Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics

496 San Francisco Giants Team Card

451 Jake Burger, Rangers

593 Sal Frelick, Brewers

...

...

...

358 Adley Rutschman, Orioles

It happened.

IT HAPPENED!!!

I managed to get the final cards I needed. Fortunately, I kept the screaming to a minimum.

It was a good day to be a card collector. Especially a good day to be THIS card collector.

Although the set is now complete, I've yet to be able to have time to put them into the binder. I'm hoping that I can do that soon.

Maybe after the All-Star Game is over.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Kurtz, Ashcroft, Burns are out of the ASG, Peters, Wrobleski, and Griffin are Named Replacements

The family was at the airport, getting ready to board a plane to Texas, when more announcements were made about All-Star Roster changes. Apparently, all it takes is for a guy to hit for the cycle, and one day later, you get a call-up to the All Star team </sarcasm>

2026 Topps Tristan Peters #330

So, Nick Kurtz, who was named the starter after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. pulled out of the All-Star Game, was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right thumb sprain. Willson Contreras, who was added to the All-Star team earlier this week, appears to be the player replacing Kurtz in the starting lineup. Taking his spot on the All-Star game roster is White Sox rookie Tristan Peters. It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for Peter’s as the day before, he hit a cycle against Kurtz’ Athletics, including a home run and a triple in the same inning. Presently, for the pale hose, he is hitting above 300, one of just 15 hitters with at least 200 plate appearances to do so. He joins Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas on the roster.

2026 Topps Justin Wrobleski #391

Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcroft pitched yesterday, throwing 98 pitches in five innings against the Brewers (on behalf of Cubs fans, thank you for the sweep). But because he pitched on Saturday, he elected not to pitch in Tuesday's game. This means that the Pirates will not have any representation on the main NL All-Star squad as he and fellow pitcher Paul Skenes played over the weekend. Taking Ashcroft's spot on the roster is Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers. On a rotation full of superstars, Wrobleski has proved himself worthy of an All-Star selection, with a 10-2 record in 15 starts, along with a 2.69 ERA while holding opposing batters to a .180 average. The Dodgers representation has now reached 6 players, including Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Andy Pages, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Chase Burns of the Reds has been scratched from All-Star Game duties due to a nagging groin injury. Taking his spot in the NL All-Star bullpen will be Foster Griffin of the Nationals. The 30-year old Griffin, returning to MLB after 3 years in NPB, is the ace of the Nat's staff, with a 10-2 record and a 2.77 ERA in 19 starts. He joins CJ Abrams and James Wood representing the Nats.

So add Peters' #330 (even if he is representing the Rays on the card) and Wrobleski's #391 to your binders. Griffin does not have a card in either Series 1 or 2, so he will most likely make an appearance in the Update Series.

Just because we are now at the midway point of the season does not mean we could be done with roster updates. More could come, and if they do, I'll make sure to add them here.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama