Enjoying the Hobby...One Tweet at a Time. #BlogtheHobby #Collect #TheHobby

If you follow a lot of the Hobby Bloggers on Twitter (like me @bdj610 for example), you will notice that many of us are very passionate about the Hobby we all enjoy. Opinions about collecting cards, regardless of the topic, are positively or negatively expressed 140 characters at a time.

Many times I agree with what's written, other times, not so much. Nothing wrong with opinions, both good or otherwise. It's great that there is a forum out there that everyone can share their points of view without repercussions. But sometimes, the negative statements bug me. And here's why.

I love collecting Topps cards. Always have since I first learned about them in 1987 and then after seeing some of the neighborhood kids playing with them the following year. Collecting baseball cards exposed me to the game of baseball, and I've been a fan ever since. Before the interwebs, baseball cards were the best source of information about players and the teams. And let's face it, some of the designs were fantastic too. Now I'm sure if the neighborhood kids were trading Donruss or Fleer cards that I'd have become a loyal Donruss or Fleer fan. But they collected Topps. So to me, Topps was it.

Back to my point.

So on Thursday, March 19, one of the Hobby Bloggers (I think you know where I'm going with this and who I am talking about) went on his usual rant about his problems with the Topps Company. He's done it before, always finding something to nitpick about Topps and their recent lines of baseball cards. From "added value" (or the "lack thereof") to his increased hatred of short-prints (gimmicks), to the surprises (he wants full disclosure of everything for some reason) that Topps puts out there. He just finds something to complain about.

Yet he doesn't even collect them. And has happily said so.

And I've always wondered...

"If you hate what Topps puts out to market, and say you don't even buy their new stuff, WHY ARE YOU STILL IN THIS HOBBY IN THE FIRST PLACE??!"

Now I've said it before, but no Hobby is perfect. Whether it's stamps, coins, Beanie Babies, dolls, cow figurines, or even baseball cards, there are always things people can find that are good and bad about them. I would be totally naïve to say that everything Topps is great as well. I've had my questions about what they're thinking from time to time. But I still enjoy collecting the cards. I don't let the extreme SSP's, the variations, the Lincoln sightings, the sparkle cards (this guy likes to call them twinks...and I'll get to that another time) get to me because, with some exceptions, I'm not really on the hunt for them. For me, and I think many casual collectors, finding one of these cards in a pack is a bonus and makes for a pleasant surprise (or a quick buck if I'm desperate).

However, this guy, and his defenders, continually whine and cry about Topps' latest efforts while at the same time wonder why they aren't coming up with new ideas to add to their products. It's as if nothing satisfies them, or at this point, nothing will satisfy them.

Okay, so on with the tweets. This is the one that got me involved. I could easily add their names to what they wrote. I mean none of them read my blog and I'm very sure that the main guy un-followed me because of my LOVE of the Topps Company anyway. But because I did not go out of my way to get their approval to post their tweets on this humble little blog, I am going to change their names on the tweets.

guyno1: Does anyone at @toppscards even give a "expletive" that their products are (literally) uncollectable? (Don't answer that, we know the answer)

Okay, so who's "we" kemosabe? You and your fanboys who agree with every word you type? How can a company that focuses on collectibles make products that "are (literally) uncollectable?" And what makes you think that these people don't care?

My response (and what got me involved in the conversation in the first place:

@bdj610: guyno1 @toppscards Funny, but many people believe otherwise. They're still collectable. Maybe not to you. Maybe not your game anymore.

And then I piled on:

@bdj610: guyno1 @toppscards Maybe find a new #Hobby? I hear stamps are making a comeback. Coins too. Or you could start a button collection.

guyno1 @toppscards Not the pins, but actual buttons that would be used for clothing.

guyno1 @toppscards Plus, you don't even need to have them mounted on cardboard.

That got his attention, and the attention of the people who share his views.

Here was another tweet, again started by our favorite curmudgeon:

guyno1: In a nutshell, everything collectors hate about @toppscards: RT guyno3 New post: Deep Heritage

One of his fans decided to chime in with this statement:

guyno2: guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 I would spend so much more on Topps cards if they would eliminate SPs from sets like H, GQ, Archives, TANG

Here was my response:

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 Thanks to the WWW, it's much easier to get the SP's you want/need because it's available online.

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 And who even says you need them for your set? If you don't want to collect them, don't get them.

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 and then don't whine about how and why they make them. Or be patient...

And that drew the ire of the second guy:

‏guyno2: @bdj610 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 that's an ignorant statement. There were no SP before the Internet.

What? Really? Card companies did not make short-printed cards before the internet? Now who made the ignorant statement? My response:

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 but can you imagine if there were way back then? And yes, there were always SP's/variations.

The main guy chimed in:

guyno1: guyno2 @bdj610 @toppscards guyno3 Ignorant statement, but not for that reason

Really? What part of my statement was ignorant? Thanks to the Internet, not only is it easier to find and even acquire these "hard-to-find" cards for your collection, but the information can be easily accessed that they even exist! What's wrong there? And if you don't want to collect them, then don't collect them. But unlike the eponymous set, SP's in products like Heritage, Gypsy Queen, Archives, and Allen & Ginter's are relatively easy to find. And the hunt for them became a lot easier again, thanks to the web. He never really gave "that reason."

@bdj610: guyno1 guyno2 @toppscards guyno3 Ignorant why? Because you refuse to accept the Hobby as it is now? Sorry you feel that way.

Second guy:

guyno2: @bdj610 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 hunting down 50-60 SPs one or two at a time is not my definition of easy either.

Who said it was ever easy? If it were that easy to get everything at once, how is it fun? I'd love to be able to do that, but I know where I stand financially and accept that it's not realistic.

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 I never said it was. But it's that thrill of finding the one or two that keeps me going.

And isn't that the point? It's the thrill of the hunt. Whether you buy tons of packs, visit stores or shops, or even scour the Bay (or COMC, or Sportlots, or Beckett, or any other place online), when you find a card or two that you need and are able to get it at the price you want, doesn't that excite you to no end (a 1992 Topps Jose Tolentino card comes to mind for me, and this was pre-Internet).

guyno2: @bdj610 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 glad it works for you. It's the reason why I and plenty others no longer spend on those products.

Okay, and here was the line that got him:

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 Then I have to ask, if you no longer spend on these products, why are you complaining about it.

If he (and others) are no longer spend on those products (and they are well within their rights to do so), why complain? What is the point? You've just stated you're not buying what they're making. So focus your energies on something else other than whining and moaning about a product you yourself just said you're not going to get.

guyno2: @bdj610 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 shame on me for wanting a more enjoyable collecting experience

So you enjoy crying about how you don't like how the Hobby has evolved? You "want" a more enjoyable collecting experience?

Time to go all-religious.

I remember hearing a story long ago, and then somehow while flipping through channels, I came through the religion-based channels block and heard Joel Osteen (my parents watch his show from time to time so I recognized the guy) start repeating the story (in his own way of course):

A guy is praying to God. "Please God, let me win the lottery."

The next day, he doesn't win.

The following day, he prays again. "Please God, let me win the lottery."

The next day, once again, he doesn't win.

A few days later, same prayer. "Dear God, please let me win the lottery."

This time, the guy gets a response from God.

"Son, meet me half-way here. BUY A TICKET!!!"

See, the guy just wanted to win, but he didn't make an effort to do so. If he had done so by going to his nearby lottery agent, and bought a ticket, then at least he had a shot. But he didn't. So praying to the high heavens wasn't going to work.

My point?

If this guy wants "a more enjoyable collecting experience," he's going to have to find it.

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 Wanting and Finding a more enjoyable collecting experience are two different things.

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 You can "want" all you want, but what's the point if you don't go out there and find it?

Make an effort. If something isn't to your satisfaction, wouldn't it be better to find another solution than to complain about how what's in front of you isn't good enough? This can be applied in lots of situations, not just the Hobby (please use discretion because this solution doesn't work in EVERY SITUATION).

And no I'm not saying that finding something else is easy. It never is. But if you really want to find enjoyment in this Hobby, you have to go out there and find what actually makes you happy.

guyno1: guyno2 Geez, I wish I had the unlimited bankroll and patience @bdj610 seems to have.

‏@bdj610: guyno1 guyno2 Patience I have. Bankroll, not so much. That's why I have to maintain patience. Otherwise...reality sucks.

That should be self explanatory. I have patience, to a point. I try to practice this when it comes to whittling down my want lists. But sometimes, when it's there in front of me, I have this fear that I might not find something better and then when I come back, the card I want is gone. So my wallet has taken heavy hits from time to time. I wish I had the money to buy everything I wanted, but I know where I stand. Should I buy the cards in front of me that I might not see again for a very long time? Or should I go to the grocery store and stock up for the week? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

@bdj610: guyno1 guyno2 You need to have patience. When you find yourself stressed about this or any Hobby, it's time to find a new one.

The word Hobby is defined as: an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.

When the Hobby stresses you out, and you no longer feel relaxed, then why continue it? This goes back to finding another Hobby. Hobbies are supposed to be a release, a distraction, something to take your mind of the struggles of the real world and bring you back to a place that made you feel that all was right with the world.

And if this one isn't doing right by you, then find something else that will. The Hobby of card collecting has so many other avenues to take, so when you find that one road hasn't been good to you, there is another to explore. Try again.

guyno2: @bdj610 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 again though as long as it works for you that's really all that matters right?

guyno2: @bdj610 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 THE HOBBY: Love it or leave it (expletive)!!!!! Great advice.

I don't know. Maybe both of these guys should leave the Hobby. They sure aren't positive influences in it. And again, for every one person who leaves, another one might come in for the first time looking forward to what may be one of the greatest things he or she has ever come across and becomes a collector for life. Who knows.

I mentioned patience earlier. A while back, the main antagonist of the story went to a card show and found some 2010 Topps legends SP's in a bargain box. He took a picture of them (2010 Topps SP's of Dizzy Dean and Honus Wagner...both I have by the way), and said something to the effects of "Fifty cent gimcracks. Explain how these "add value" again?"

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 ...I'll give guyno1 props for...

@bdj610: guyno2 guyno1 @toppscards guyno3 getting those SP's from 2010 at 2015 prices (which was a lot cheaper compared to) when I was getting them.

Well, they were added value...back in 2010. And you're buying them now, six card-years later, so yeah, the "added vaue" is gone. But you have them now for your collection. Be happy. Not cynical. They added value when the demand was high for them. Now? Probably not as the people who wanted them already have them. (I'm still looking for some by the way. Please see the sidebar).

After this exchange, all went silent. Both men probably had to go back to work and was spending their lunch breaks on the twitterverse. I did, however, make a new friend on Twitter.

@Icampintense: @bdj610 wow. Straight roasting people in that little post about Topps. Very nice!

‏@bdj610: @Icampintense Thank you. guyno1's act of (mild expletive) about Topps and the state of the Hobby here on Twitter is getting as old as my love of it.

@Icampintense: @bdj610 I've had that dude muted for well over a year. Can't stand him honestly. I prob spend too much time defending Topps.

@bdj610: @Icampintense I do too, but I love pushing his buttons, especially when he goes on his rants. Probably why he un-followed me.

Yeah, so I am a bit of a trouble-maker, aren't I??!

And finally, the poor guy that got caught in the crossfire because his blog post was linked by our friendly neighborhood grump, chimed in:

guyno3: @bdj610 guyno2 guyno1 The point of this is that SPs featuring franchise players is a cheap ploy to make people buy more.

Congratulations. You win the prize for finally figuring out why Topps has been doing this in the first place!!!

@bdj610: guyno3 guyno2 guyno1 If you're actively looking for them, then of course you'll be spending the money.

@bdj610: guyno3 guyno2 guyno1 But for those who are not actively looking out for these, then getting one is a bonus and exciting.

Of course, Topps would create short-printed variation cards of Clayton Kershaw, David Ortiz, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, etc. Because they know collectors will want them for their collections, no matter what, even if they wind up whining all the way to their goals. Do you think collectors (with the possible exception of team collectors) would show the same clamor around SP'd cards of the mop-up reliever or third-string catcher? Not so much.

‏guyno3: @bdj610 guyno2 guyno1 ...saying "don't want, don't get" is just silly. SPs are fine if they're EXTRA, but not when they should be base

Which brings me back to my point about the Internet, and the easier access to these cards online.

@bdj610: guyno3 guyno2 guyno1 I'll give you that for the non-eponymous items...but even in those sets, the SP's aren't that hard to find.

Let's face it. The idea of the proliferation of short-printed cards would not work in a pre-internet age. Because the options of notifying people about having or wanting them would be limited to Hobby Magazines and classified ads. It would be an even more frustrating endeavor. But we are now 16 years into the 21st century. We have the technology and the information at our fingertips. Make use of them.

Make an effort to find happiness within this Hobby. It's out there. You have to go out there and look. Believe me, it's a lot more fun to find what makes you happy than it is to sit down and mope about the things that don't.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Éirinn go brách! Celebrating at Home.

Today is St. Patrick's Day. It is the day that honors St. Patrick, who is the patron saint of Ireland. It also commemorates the arrival of Christianity to the Emerald Isle. In fact, it is said (thanks Wikipedia) that he used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity.

My family will be enjoying boiled corned beef brisket with all the veggies (potatoes, carrots, cabbage) tonight. I would like to apologize to my sister for once again we will not be able to join her for dinner (it's a school night, there are still dance classes happening). Meanwhile, I've been playing Irish music on the computer all afternoon, just to get into the mood.


If anybody says, "Top of the morning to you," to you today, make sure to respond in kind, "And the rest of the day to yourself."

Public Service Announcement (as my wife just said that she found the Bailey's): As you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, please remember to celebrate responsibly.



Now for the baseball portion of the program. If you're wondering, while there are many baseball players of Irish descent, 47 native-born Irish men made at least one appearance in the majors.
The last native born Irish player was Joe Cleary. Born in County Cork, Cleary only appeared in one game (08/04/1945) in 0.1 inning of work for the Washington Senators. But in that eventful inning, he struck out one batter (the good news), but allowed five hits, three walks, and seven earned runs to score. Saving time for the math, but seven runs in 1/3 innings equals an ERA of 189.

SBS Baseball created a team of All-Irish baseball players as part of their Foreign League. Imagine the World Baseball Classic without the US. Teams included as part of this league include teams from Asia/Australia/Africa, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eastern Europe, England, Germany, Latin America, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Western Europe (14 total teams). I'll try and run a season during my lunch break and will post results later to see how the Irish do against the rest of the world.

So now, a quick toast to everyone, Irish or just-for-the-day:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be at your back.
May your cards collections grow to unmeasurable heights in both volume and value.
May the quest for new cards be swift.
May the journey of life treat you well today and always.
And may a certain North Side baseball team win it all this year (just have a decent season...please).
If you catch my drift.

Sláinte!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

39 at 39...Plus One

In many of his radio (and subsequently his TV show), Jack Benny, when asked how old he was, would say that he was 39 years old. This would always get big laughs from the audience, and the laughter would continue after the person he was talking to would crack a joke about his answer.

That was his character. Although he portrayed himself as vain and cheap on the program, he most certainly was the opposite in real life. Unlike many of the comedians of his time, he always made sure that the rest of his cast got the majority of the laughs, while he played straight man to the craziness around him.

Jack Benny will always be 39 years old to fans of his program, and I count myself as one of them. Last month was "Jack Benny Month" on Those Were the Days, a radio program that re-plays many of the old time radio shows. It seems that before music and talk radio ruled the airwaves, and before many people sat in front of their televisions and computers, radio was the main form of entertainment. And there was no better show on the air on Sunday nights than the Jack Benny program. When I first discovered Chuck Schaden's radio show so many years ago, I was hooked. And while I enjoyed listening to (when I had the time) shows like Fibber McGee and Molly, Burns and Allen, Suspense, The Great Gildersleeves, The Whistler, and even looked forward to The Cinnamon Bear in December, I loved it when they would put on a Benny program.

What is the point of me talking about old-time radio?

Well, I was going to write about Jack Benny last month on Valentine's Day (his birthday). So that's all I have to say...

No...

Wait.

That's not all I have to say today.

You see, as of today, Mr. Benny and I have something else in common.

Today is March 12. And I turn 39 today.

Forgive me, I have to take a minute to breathe as I even fathom to think about that.

I am 39 years old...TODAY!!!

Where have the years gone??! I am now officially what I thought was the definition of old when I was 7. I had pangs when I turned 30, and now I am a year away from 40. I always thought of myself as young, and in many ways I feel young.

This is a day for me and my family to celebrate. And we will. There will be a bacon-wrapped deep dish pizza coming tonight. There will be a day to celebrate with my parents and sibs tomorrow. There will also be another dance competition for my daughter that will be happening then too...but that's another story.

I look back at my life, and yes, there have been ups and downs. I have experienced a lot of joy (from growing up in Manila and coming to America to meeting and marrying the girl that would become my wife and becoming the father of two amazing kids) and sorrow (the Brown's Chicken massacre, my grandmother dying). There have been good times (achievements in high school, working in theatre, and now spending time with my family) and bad ones (losing a job and the uncertainty of the future when the company closed). I have learned a lot and still feel I have a lot to learn.

I am truly blessed to have the life I am living. Even with all of the struggles (and there have been many), I am grateful to have the experiences I have had.

So I want to take this opportunity to thank my family, my parents, my siblings, my friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and those I recently connected with last October at my 20th HS reunion for being a part of my life. Good or otherwise, you have all shaped me into the person I am today. Every opportunity to interact with you is something I cherish.

Now that we have all that out of the way, let's talk about baseball cards (this is a Topps baseball card blog, isn't it??!)

I'm 39 years old today.

A few years ago, someone contacted me about a project he was doing as a birthday present for his friend. I wrote about it here and it got the attention of a Sports Collector's Daily.

The gist of it? A guy gave his friend, turning 40, every #40 card from Topps' history (1951-2011 at the time).

So why not do the same thing...to a point.

In a previous birthday post, I named an all-star team of players born on March 12. Heading in to the 2015 season, 63 players out of the 18,408 who debuted in MLB at one point were born on March 12. The youngest (heading into the 2015 campaign) is Taylor Hill, born on this date in 1989 (wow, I'm old). But in honor of my 39th birthday, why not display all the cards from my birth year (1976) to now that were assigned card #39 by the Topps Company. Now granted, many of the names who share this card number do not have the name recognition that the guys with #40 have, but hey, they're on cardboard, they're immortalized.

So here you go, from 1976 through 2015, cards #39 (images from the Joe McAnally and the Baseball Card Cyber Museum):

So happy 39th to me. And, before I forget...

Happy Birthday Bryan Hebson!!!

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Well, That Was Quick...

One minute I was ready to write a post about Presidents cards in honor of President's Day, and the next it's the middle of March.

Where did the time go?

Better question: Where did I go??!

If there are any readers of this humble, little blog left, waiting until I actually make an appearance, I apologize. Lots of things happening personally that has had me put the blog on the back burner, including:

My Wallet Card hanging out with my daughter's First Place Trophy!!!

If it hasn't been mentioned before here, my daughter is a competitive dancer, and this is her first year competing as a soloist (she's previously performed in trios, small groups, and large groups). She has been in two competitions, and so far, she's taken home two 1st place trophies in her category. This is one of the trophies she won, and Wallet Card (who has been spending time with a lot of hardware - will show that in a minute), wanted to hang out with it.

Wallet Card hanging out with Award Winning Crackers...yes, I work for a food company.

There was also another trip to Aurora and the haunted Paramount Theatre that involved overnight stays because my daughter was performing on both days and it would be too much to drive back and forth, so there were overnight hotel stays involved. This will be the closest my family gets for a vacation, so we made the most of it (the hotels were great).

Well, she's competing again this weekend, and this is going to be a real test as the people in charge aren't really that familiar with her dance company and the competition should be more balanced. So she'll really have to "work it" to continue her winning streak.

Back to something Hobby related.

When last I wrote, I was depressed because 2015 Topps Series 1 had not arrived in stores yet, and even if they did, I didn't have a lot of money. So I drowned my sorrows at the Dollar Tree and scored some penny packs.

Well since then, I now am the proud owner of the 2015 base set and six of the basic insert sets. This week, I'll try and get in on the action on the more challenging insert sets (the four retail-exclusives, the Gallery of Greats, and the Spring Fever set). I will have to get a couple of five-inch binders and sheets though...I'm out of everything.

The first card I opened from my packs of 2015 Topps was Troy Tulowitzki:

2015 Topps #125 Troy Tulowitzki. Did you know Topps is selling poster prints of the 2015 Topps cards?

The one great thing about Heritage coming out this month is that the prices of Topps Series 1 should be going down (hopefully). This is the best time to strike for those sets.

Meanwhile, the card census has been slow and steady. I'm not necessarily cataloging the cards...although maybe I should. I just wanted a total count. I have at least the first two binders done (1976 and 1977) and will be working on the rest throughout the year...while making sure to include the 2015 totals too.

On an unrelated note, I do owe a couple of people some cards. I still have to mail out the Hobby pack of 2014 Topps Update Series to the gentleman who won the All-Star Rookie Team contest last year, and someone emailed me about the 2004 Topps Traded checklist cards, looking for a specific one, with Kenny Lofton on it. The good news is that the Lofton card is not split between multiple cards, and I actually had an extra one (the red Hobby version). So I have to get to the post office soon.

Some things I'm waiting for before Opening Day (and we're at T-27 days and counting):

• The Cubs actually winning a Spring Training game (they haven't won one yet)
• The staff at SBS Baseball to download the 2014 statistics (and then eventually, I'll revive the All-Star Team Tournament)
• News on the Retail Sets (if Topps is making them this year). It would be the 10th year Topps has produced these exclusive team sets, and I look forward to what 2015 holds.

That's it for now. I've watched a few games on MLB Network, and I have the cards in hand. I'm excited for the upcoming season. And although my visits here have been infrequent, I do plan on making time to post more often as the season gets underway.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Not Bad for $0.35...Ripken and Chipper Short-Prints? Excellent!!!

One of my goals this year is to try and clear out the extra cards that are sitting in boxes in my basement. They don't count as part of my actual collection, and I am not counting them as part of the Card Census I'm working on to manage my collection.

And while I still have yet to find any 2015 Topps cards (I will make a trip to a Target near church...), I did finally open the 35 packs of 2013 Topps Update Series that I bought at the Dollar Tree.

Now these cards consist of 5 base cards. No inserts, no relics, no autographs. Just five cards. And with my luck, I wasn't expecting much in terms of quality hits. I mean, after all, I already have all 330 cards of the base set. What could I possibly get out of these packs?

Turns out...something.

As you may know, Topps inserted a lot...really...a lot of short-printed variation cards in the Update Series. Many of them were of the All-Star Game variety, featuring star players from All-Star Games past. Some were even super-short printed.

Now, I am not sure if I mentioned that in previous pack purchases that I did get a short print:



2013 Topps Update Series Mariano Rivera #US313b

Tonight, after opening 35 packs of 2013 Topps Update cards, I now have in my hands:

2013 Topps Update Series Chipper Jones #US53b

2013 Topps Update Series Cal Ripken Jr. #US216b

Neither are of the super-short print variety, nor is the Rivera from before, but they are SP's nonetheless.
I am looking to sell these babies as I have decided not to collect them. Although they are short-prints, and they are of retired All-Stars, to me, these are not even akin to the 2009-2012 short printed cards of the CMG players from 2009 through the Hall of Fame 5 from 2012 Topps Series 2.

So here is my call to sell. I'll start with this blog post, and then Twitter and Facebook to see if I can gauge some interest. I'm thinking at least $7.50-$10.00 per card would be a good starting point. If after a couple of days, I get no decent responses from either site, I'll throw them on the Bay.

Wish me luck.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

I'm Sorry, The Jeter Card Sold for HOW MUCH??!

Still upset that my local big box store did not have any 2015 Topps Series 1 packs out, I drowned my sorrows at the Dollar Tree to find that, even though I thought it ended, the store was still selling certain packs for a penny.

So I got myself 35 5-card packs of 2013 Topps Update Series. I'll be breaking that shortly while biding my time, waiting for my paycheck to come next week so I can hop aboard the 2015 Topps train on the Bay.

In the meantime, while perusing the Twitterverse, the biggest casebreaker out there, brentandbecca, has been busy sorting and listing all of the cards they have from the 35 to 100 cases they open for every product (okay, that's an exaggeration, but they do bust open a ton of cases). If you want to know what almost EVERY CARD LOOKS LIKE, check their auctions on eBay.

Speaking of checking their auctions...

So this is Derek Jeter's final regular series Topps card. He's been in every eponymous Topps set since 1993. That gives him a staggering 23 regular Topps cards in his illustrious career. Now, I know last year's Update Series included reprints of his previous 22 cards, but they were of the framed variety and quite frankly, because they were serial numbered, not worth the time and money for me to invest. Heck, some of the reprints were worth more than the regular cards.

But I digress.

So brentandbecca is still sorting through their cards and he put on auction the above card.

Guess what the final price was for this one regular card? Keep in mind that this is not the SP card. There is no twinkle in his eye, (for that matter, I have no idea if he has a sparkle card). This is the base card that EVERY factory set will have when summer hits.

Not $1.00.

Not $5.00.

Not $10.00.

Not $20.00.

Not $50.00.

Just check this out:

Let's try that again:

That's $100.00.

For one base card!!!

And the funny thing is that the guy who "won" the auction paid for it.

Yes, I know that the card itself has been all over the news as it is Jeter's final card. But this is a bit excessive, don't you think? Now EVERYBODY's going to want to put this card online to see if they can ride the wave of hysteria.

Sadly, I can't yet. I haven't seen any cards from 2015 as of today (yes I know it's only Day 2 since the official release).

I'm in the wrong business.

Now I'd love to have the finances that brentandbecca have to break open so many cases. And don't get me wrong, I'd love to spend my day opening packs of cards (it's a ton of work, and I give him, his wife, and his support staff a lot of props for the work they do).

I'm just not sure if my shelves could take the weight.

Congrats.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

2015 Topps Series 1 is Live...and I Missed It??!

Kidding. But I wish I was able to participate in the festivities!!!

I know 2015 Topps S1 is live. I've seen videos (from Keith Olbermann to Topps case breaks). I've seen Facebook posts of people breaking open packs, blasters, boxes, cases, etc. and showing off what they got. I've watched the twitter feed to see what everyone thinks of the backs (a big thank you to Sooz for being kind enough to post the back of the card so we all know what they look like - apparently, I'm the only one who wanted to see that stuff).

I've been to the Number One Source in the Hobby's site to see pictures of the short prints and sparkle cards (somewhere Stale Gum is fuming...to me, him ticked off about the cards makes it seem that all is right with the world). It looks like there are 25 SP's are included in this product (that I counted anyway) and the sparkle cards are back.

I've even gone on eBay to get an idea of what prices are going to be so that when the time (and paycheck comes), I'll have an idea of how much I plan on splurging (after bills, of course).

The cards look great. I'm just insanely jealous that my local big box store didn't have any product on the shelves today. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better.

All I've seen looks great, but I feel I can't make any comments until I have the things in my hands.

I just want one pack. One lousy $1.99 pack.

Maybe 4.

Maybe tomorrow.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama