Just a Quick Reminder...

for those of you who have not yet finished entering your 2010 Topps Attax or ToppsTown code cards into the ToppsTown website (http://toppstown.com/):

You have until 02/01/2011 to enter your codes!!!

I'm probably going to spend the weekend at the local library entering all the code cards my kids and I have acquired. Figures we wait until the last minute.

That is all.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Deadline for 2009 Topps Baseball ToppsTown Codes

Ladies and Gentlemen:

According to every 2009 MLB ToppsTown card, the deadline to enter the codes is 01/31/2010. That would be now!!!

Get those codes entered onto ToppsTown's website before the day ends. I will be at the local library entering about 150 plus cards because my home computer takes forever. I spent an hour there today as well.

February 1 begins a new year, and then you can start entering codes for 2010 Topps (or give them to a certain blogger who writes about Topps cards).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Just A Quick, Friendly Reminder...

To all who still have unused ToppsTown codes from any baseball product this year...

You have until 01/31/2010 to use your codes!!!

Or at least that's what the backs of all the 2009 ToppsTown cards say anyway...

So hurry up!!! Enter those codes onto Toppstown.com and complete your virtual card set. Or if you don't want them, give them to somebody who will be more than happy to take them from you. Like maybe some guy who writes about Topps cards or something...

But you only have as of tonight...29 days to get them all in before they expire.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

This Makes Me Want to Go and Buy a Webcam!!!

Courtesy of the New York Times.

Since the beginning of my internet life, I've been dead set against buying a webcam. Why??? I think the last thing anybody would like to see is me on a video. Or worse, my kids messing around with one (every parent's nightmare...and their both under 10).

Anyway, this news would make me change my mind:


Now I've seen previews of this on ToppsTown, and I thought it had something to do with the new Match Attax cards. Please read this story and catch the video...

Then, click here:


I guess those ToppsTown cards are worth holding on to after all...

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

A Few Quick Thank Yous and Notes About ToppsTown in 2009.

A huge thank you is in order for the gentleman who runs Grand Cards (the Curtis Granderson mega-blog). For sending him a number of cards off his wantlist, I got in exchange the five cards that make up the 2008 Topps Detroit Tigers factory bonus set (previously discussed here). Love the cards and have added it to the increasingly heavy binder that holds all my 2008 Topps cards.

Another thank you has to go out to friend of the blog Jason Fry for sending me three Mets cards that came exclusively in the factory sets, specifically for the Angel Pagan card found in the 2008 Mets factory set. Former Cub factor here. And that reminds me that I will have to do a "Light of Day" post sometime before the end of the week.


Also, I have just finished sorting through the 12 + 16 packs of 2009 Topps that I bought at Target (wait...I didn't mention that I went back and bought 16 more packs???). I know with those I'm nowhere near a complete set (which is a moot point since I bought a full master set on eBay). My kids and I have already sorted out the ToppsTown cards (so don't ask for codes, you can have the cards though after they've entered the codes in the computer though). And will enter the codes later this week. I've already entered mine (we each got nine cards each, and there is one gold card that will go to one of the kids), and in either my haste or my sleepiness, I must have transposed a couple of letters or something because I am now the proud owner of 8 ToppsTown BASKETBALL cards. So I want to publicly say I'm sorry to the person who will get this actual code, try to enter it, only to find out it was already used. Nobody stars amongst the eight I got, so don't panic, but still, I'm sorry.

The ToppsTown cards look great, and each one has their own Topps Attax statistics ready for play. I entered the code on the Topps Attax card (which by the way is the same code on all cards, but you can apparently use it once per account), and got bonus ToppsTown cards to boot. I really can't wait for this Attax thing to start.


Finally, I'd like to welcome back friend of the blog (and eBay rival) Craig in Texas to the blogosphere. With the upcoming release of Topps Heritage, he's been posting on a more frequent basis. Check him out at his blog called My Topps Cards. This guy has an incredible collection, with complete sets dating back to the 60's. He is probably about a hundred or so cards away from completing the ultimate master set of Topps cards...from 1952 to now!!! He was even able to get those 2006 Topps Alex Gordon cards before KO jacked up the price.

That's all for now. Until next time.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2008 Topps Redsfest Cards...and a Nice Surprise from ToppsTown.

This Paypal thing is really beginning to grow on me. Earlier this week, I mentioned that I won two auctions, one for a Sarah Palin GOP card, and the other was for the 8-card Topps Redsfest set. Both arrived before the end of the week. Normally, I'd mail my payment, wait two days for it to arrive to the seller, wait at least a week for the check to clear, and then wait another two to three days for it to arrive. I paid both at the same time, and they arrived promptly.

In the mean time, the reason why I am posting this is because included in the package of Reds cards was one ToppsTown card (which came as a filler). On a whim, because my kids found a bunch of unopened packs of 2008 Topps Series II, they opened everything, and only found one ToppsTown card in the chaos. The card went to my son, and he immediately cashed it in. Feeling bad that my daughter didn't get anything, I decided to try and see if there the code on the card I received today was valid.

I can happily say that yes, the code was active. But instead of getting baseball cards:


She now is the virtual owner of this household's first ToppsTown FOOTBALL cards. And now she wants more, and my son wants them too.

If anybody has any ToppsTown Football codes they want to share (and they have to be unused), please send an e-mail my way at bdj610@hotmail.com. On behalf of my kids...thanks.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

It's Been a While Since I've Visited ToppsTown.

I was about to throw out what I thought were used ToppsTown cards out when on a whim, I decided to see if they were live or not. Sure enough, the codes were never entered. So after splitting the cards between and the two kids, we entered the 31 cards (including two gold ones) into our accounts.

All I know is, out of 203 cards in the baseball set, I am only three players short of completing the virtual baseball card binder. The three players:

Stephen Drew
Tim Wakefield
Trevor Hoffman


I went through the trade routes, but unfortunately, the people offering the cards are asking for players I only have one card of. I know I could possibly trade my one card away and trade someone else back (I should have enough), but that's too much work...maybe.

Oh well, something else to do to pass the time I guess on the last day of the year!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

That Went a Lot Faster Than I Thought

With my daughter (and then my son) helping to rip open packs (making sure she doesn't bang them on the table like they were a deck of playing cards), all 46 packs of Topps U & H are now open.

We are still sorting out the damage, but I can tell you that we did get the guaranteed 2 relics and 1 autograph card in the jumbo box. I'm so glad I'm a Cubs fan because my relic cards were of Ryan Dempster and Alfonso Soriano. The regular box yielded a Chase Utley relic. And for the record, my autograph card was of Steve Holm of the Giants. I even got a Stamp card (Washington and Lee University).

My kids are dividing up the Topps Town cards between the three of us (they each get a gold card), and will be taking over the computer shortly. Got to go.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Meet the Family...

ToppsTown Avatars. Bringing the family together. Now if we could only get Mommy to join...

It's been a couple of weeks since I moved in to ToppsTown, and I'm getting used to the place. I finally helped my kids moved in as well. Now, we're dividing the ToppsTown cards so we all have codes to enter for the cards and points.

The kids like it. But we need more codes. If anyone who has not signed up nor care to sign up and want to pass along the codes, please send me an e-mail. Daddy needs a new aquarium!!!

Let us know who you are in ToppsTown, and add us to your friends pile. The more friends you get, the higher your ranking.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

One More Note About ToppsTown!!!

I would like to thank Erica over at WonderGroup (the company that helped develop ToppsTown) for including my post about the site in her company blog. She and her company should be commended for the job they did to ensure the safety and privacy of the kids who will join the site in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Response to a Comment Regarding ToppsTown

Dear Anonymous:

I appreciate your comment regarding me stating that I was moving to ToppsTown. And I do truly understand your concern when you stated:

"ToppsTown is really meant for kids. Can we adults please stay out of it and let the kids have their fun?:

This comes directly from the About ToppsTown (the FAQ) section of the website:

Who is ToppsTown™ for?
ToppsTown™ is designed for all ages 6-up.

Why ToppsTown™?
ToppsTown™ was created to gets kids more involved in the safe and fun world of trading cards. Over the years, collecting and trading cards has diminished. We're hoping that our new generation of "cyberkids" can carry on the tradition, whether online or with actual cards.

Is it safe?
Yes. Names are all made up. There is no direct contact between players. Trading is a yes-or-no proposition.

The site itself is set up so that there really is no communication between members who join the site. While it is truly marketed for kids and teens, and it should be fun for them too, if the Topps Company did not want any adults registering onto the site, then they would have stopped me from registering as soon as I entered my birthday (which was the first thing the site asked for before I could even register...I'm not some kind of creep who would make up a date just to join, although I can only imagine others doing so).

As the FAQ stated, there is no direct contact between players. When I was on the site, I found myself alone in many of the games. There is no chat room, and the only thing that involved "interacting" with other members was their virtual trading site, and even that was just an 'if you have a card this person wants, click here' kind of thing.

I commend the Topps Company for ensuring the safety of kids who will register online. This is their answer to the Upper Deck kids site. But, just like that site, I can pretty much assure you that adults are the ones posting the high total of codes or points.

I am going to continue to play around on the site. I have the codes, what am I supposed to do, throw them out? Besides, I don't think the codes can be used more than once anyway. So giving them to kids AFTER I enter them would be moot.

Again, I thank you for your comment, and I respect your opinion. I have kids, and I wouldn't want them to enter sites that would jeopardize their safety. So I do look at the sites they join. And from what I have seen, the companies go to great lengths to ensure safety for the kids who join, and I am confident that the sites are safe for them to be left unsupervised (and I mean that I would be standing over them otherwise).

This Hobby was, and still is, meant for kids. The site, while marketed for youth, is welcoming anyone to join. It was my choice to register. I highly doubt that I will spend the time to rack up points as I am not either computer savvy to do it. Besides, I'm in it for fun, not for points (although I could use some more to update my room).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

My Boxes of 2008 Topps Series 2 Have Arrived!!! I'm Moving to ToppsTown!

I'll be a bit busy tonight and tomorrow as I rip through packs and sort out what's what. I'm just glad they're finally here.

On an unrelated note, I moved in to ToppsTown last night. Had a late start, but I'm getting settled in. If you're looking for me in ToppsTown, my name is "The Omelet Injector." Instead of using a normal screen name (like bdj610 is not normal), they have this random name generator, and The Omelet Injector seemed to make the most sense. When I move in, I'll send a postcard. Time to go rip open some packs!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama