Blog Bat Around - If I Had $50,000, I'd Buy Me A...

The Blog Bat Around call has been sent out to the Hobby Blogging Community, and once again, the concept and the question comes from Gellman's place at SCU.

To review, this wildly popular phenomenon was started by Gellman, who also hosted the second one. The baton was passed to Dave of Fielder's Choice for Fiesta #3, Patricia of Dinged Corners took the next turn for #4, and dayf the Cardboard Junkie grabbed the reins for #5. The sixth one was came back home to Gellman, and while the seventh bat around was hosted by Thorzul Will Rule, not too many responded to it (or so it seemed), and the BBA was left for dead. (Please take this time to click on all the links and then remember to come back here to see what I actually wrote).

Anyway, the topic of the bat around this time asks that the blogger indulges in pure fantasy. I think it would be better to read the question the way Gellman put it in his post:

Remember those days on Nickelodeon where they would hold contests for their version of a kids' ultimate shopping spree? They would let the winner loose in a Toys R Us for however long and let them keep what they could fit in the cart, right? Well, if you were given $50,000 and 15 minutes on ebay, what cards/memorabilia would you buy with the money? Break it down card by card, and give us a price and a reason for what you are buying. Not everyone would go out there and buy a Joe Jackson cracker jack, but some people would. So, with that, what would you spend the mother lode on? Happy buying.

Oh geez. I get to spend $50,000 in 15 minutes on eBay??? Pinch me, I must be dreaming (okay, this is a fantasy anyway, but bear with me).

As a loyal Topps Baseball Card set collector, I don't have particular cards in mind (wait...I do!!!). I'll budget about $1,000, and I'd buy every card off my want list (although if you dear reader have any of these cards, I'd prefer to trade for them)!!!

2003 Topps Nolan Ryan Record Breakers No-Hitters:

1 Angels (at Royals, May 15, 1973)
2 Angels (at Tigers, July 15, 1973)
3 Angels (vs. Twins, September 28, 1974)
4 Angels (vs. Orioles, June 1, 1975)
6 Rangers (at Athletics, June 11, 1990)
7 Rangers (vs. Blue Jays, May 1, 1991)

2005 Topps Barry Bonds MVP:

BB1 1990 Topps Design Pirates #'d 25

2008 Topps Updates and Highlights:

Sarah Palin Beauty Queen card

2009 Topps MLB Short-Prints Series 2:

#353b Cal Ripken, Jr.
#495b Brooks Robinson

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights Short-Prints:

#71c Ryne Sandberg
#150b Ty Cobb
#330b Babe Ruth BSB

2009 Topps Walmart Legends of the Game Series 2:

LLP12 Jackie Robinson
LLP13 Babe Ruth
LLP14 Honus Wagner

2009 Topps Target Legends of the Game Series 2:

LLG13 Babe Ruth

2009 Topps Target Legends of the Game U & H:

LLG21 Rickey Henderson
LLG22 Ozzie Smith
LLG23 Babe Ruth
LLG25 Nolan Ryan
LLG26 Reggie Jackson
LLG27 Frank Robinson
LLG28 Ryne Sandberg
LLG29 Steve Carlton
LLG30 Johnny Bench

2010 Topps Legends Short-Prints Series 1:

#1b Hank Greenberg
#20b Warren Spahn
#50b Cy Young
#85b Jackie Robinson
#90b Rogers Hornsby
#94b Carlton Fisk
#95b Rickey Henderson
#100b Stan Musial
#110b Willie Stargell
#116b Robin Yount
#125b George Sisler
#130b Reggie Jackson
#175b Roger Maris
#200b Walter Johnson
#222b Curtis Granderson NYY
#250b Lou Gehrig

2010 Topps Cards Your Mother Threw Out Backs (Original Backs, not the Inserts Backs!!!):

1953, 1954, 1955, 1958
1961, 1962, 1963, 1967, 1968, 1969
1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978
1984, 1988, 1989
1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
2005

2010 Topps Red Backs (Target):

2, 8,

2010 Topps Blue Backs (WalMart/Meijer):

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14

With that out of the way, and if I used Wrigley Wax's eBay Topps Complete Set price index, I'd budget about $6,000 buying complete Topps Baseball card sets from 1969, 1970, 1971 (that 1971 set is a doozy because of condition), 1972, 1973, 1974, AND 1975 (I might have to change the banner at the end of the blog). Hey, I collect complete sets, and I figure, if I'm going to spend...why not spend??!

That's $7,000. Now what?

How about complete sealed factory sets? Yeah, that would work. Okay, throw me every sealed factory set from 1974 to 2009 (2010's have not come out yet, but I will have something to say about them soon...I promise!). Give or take, that could run me at least $3,000 or so, especially because the older sets should command a premium SEALED. You know what? I'll go $4,000.

That's $11,000. What else? As I'm not an expert, nor collect anything outside of baseball cards, I might have a bit of a struggle trying to spend $39,000. But who am I kidding???

I also would like the following five pack inserts that were included in the following Topps factory sets. And if I can't find those, by themselves, I'll buy the factory sets. At $50.00 on average, this should cost a grand at least:

2006: Red Sox, Cubs, Yankees, Pirates, Cardinals
2007: Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals, Fanfest HR Derby, All-Star Edition
2008: Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees, Mets
2009: Hobby (10 exclusive rookies), Red Sox, Cubs, Yankees, Mets, All-Star Edition

That's $12,000. I think that should do me for sets. Or does it??? I'm not going to be extremely picky on condition, but if they look good, then why not get:

1968: There's one on BIN for $2,400. Got it. And I'll take that complete game set from 1968 for $100.00 (it's going for 80, but for the sake of rounding up, I'll calculate $100).
1967: There's one on BIN for $1,600. Mine.
1966: There's one on BIN for $2,570. Why not?
1965: Lots here, but I'll take the BIN for $3,000.
1964: A BIN for $1500, plus the stand up set for $3,505 (not my money remember). Both mine and mine.
1963: BIN for $3,100. Nobody wants it? I'll get it.
1962: One for $7,130 is getting my attention, but I'll take the one for $5,135 BIN instead.
1961: There's a BIN for $4,500 that looks rather nice.
1960: At $3,300, and this guy has two of them? I'll take one please.
1959: Does $5,705 for and EX-MT set sound too high? Of course not.

Wow, my decade's worth of cards splurge just sent me back $36,395.00. And with everything else I want at $12,000, I'm left with $1,605.00 to spend. I think I'll end my run of complete sets at 1959 and find something else to spend the last of the money on.


Per the auction description: This is a stylish diamond and 14K white gold tennis bracelet with a classy S style. The impressive bracelet is 7 MM wide by 7 inches long and is set with thirty-five (35) full cut, fully faceted, bright, white, fiery, natural, genuine, untreated round brilliant diamonds of J to K color and SI2 to I1 clarity with absolutely no visible imperfections. The diamonds look amazing with tons of fire and brilliance, totaling 3.50CTS. They give this solid 14K gold bracelet an impressive and expensive look at a fraction of its retail value. The bracelet has a double locking clasp and has been professionally polished and cleaned to look new.

This is on BIN for $1,595.00 Free shipping. And I'll buy this after I buy a complete set of 1974 Topps Traded for $10.00 (in effect, spending all $50,000.00). Why?

Because after spending $48,405 on baseball cards, I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do to my wife. Here's hoping that this arrives before all the cards do.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama