Last call on the roiders

Well, this year's project doesn't look like it will end like I had hoped.  Not because I didn't get enough support from all of you though!  I got a lot of great steroids infused packages from around the blogosphere.  Thanks for those!!!

No, the problem is with me.  I knew that getting the Topps Base runs for each of the players would be the toughest and I needed to focus on that.  But I didn't.  The lure of shiny inserts and refractors stole my attention at all of the shows I went to.

So I am short a lot of base cards for a lot of the players.  Here is a list of what I still need:

Arod - 1998,1999,2000,2002,2004,2005,2006,2008,2009,2012,2013
Canseco - 1996,1997,1998,2000,2001,2002
Giambi - 2002,2003,2004,2005,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013
Clemens - 1985,1998,2001,2004,2007,2008
McGwire - 1996,2002
Sosa - 1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,2001,2002,2004,2005,2007,2008
Palmiero - 1991,1995,2000,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006
Bonds - 2001,2003,2004,2005,2008

It's now basically one month to go, and at the only show that I will make it to, I will be a dealer and may not have much time to look through boxes in search of base cards.  So if you have any of the cards above and are willing to send them my way, please let me know!  I can also use a Canseco and Bonds relic card.

It looks like this project will drag on past the end of the year, and really, that's OK.  As long as I get it done soon and can put it to bed.  I have several projects in mind for next year, and would like to focus on them!

Holding off, but an early opportunity...

I love doing my traditional end of the year / holiday giveaway contests.  They are a lot of fun and I have a decent stash of stuff to give away this year.  But I'm going to hold off a month.  I'll make it a New Year's contest or something.  I have several reasons, one of which is that I don't want to go to the Post Office this holiday season.  It's horrible there.

For last years contest, you had to have commented on my blog at least once to be eligible.  Mostly to make sure that only regular readers won.  I'm not going to do that this year, but if you are dedicated enough to be reading this, you can get an extra entry into this year's (next year's??) contest by making a comment on this post before 11:00 PM PST on Sunday December 1st.

Right now I am thinking around seven-ish different prizes, and you would be able to enter on 3 of the seven.  This extra entry would allow you to enter on a fourth or double enter on one.

Wait, you know what?  Because I got very little feedback on my pitiful plea for card show help, I will offer yet another extra entry if you go to that post and comment (with a useful opinion please!) there before 11:00 PM PST on Sunday December 1st.  That's right, you can get 2 extra entries total, one for commenting on the post you are currently reading, and one for commenting on this post.

And now, because walls of text are boring, a pic of the one and only Casey Stengel, way back from his playing days edition!  He looks pretty chill. 

And Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Card show prep - help a noob!

With me health getting back to normal, I have been thinking about getting started on a project that I have wanted to do for a long time.  Be a dealer at a card show!  And I want your input to help me be successful.

I NEED to get rid of a large number of cards.  I've thought about sending large packages out to a bunch of bloggers, but there are two problems with that for me:
1. The time and effort needed to separate cards into bunches appropriate to individual bloggers.  I don't have it.
2. Postage.  Even regular, small time trading costs too much for me, most of the time.  Large shipments, especially a bunch of them, would be completely out of the question.

So a card show blowout seems like a good idea.  I get rid of cards (hopefully in the range of 25000 or so!), I make a little money (not much I expect) and people at the show get cheap cards (nothing too awesome though).  It's a win all around.

So here is what I plan to sell.

Nickel Boxes - Baseball (~8000 cards), Basketball (~8000 cards) and Football (~3000 cards)
These have stars, but nothing that probably books for over $2 or $3.  No completely junk cards or players, but a decent amount of junk wax too.  I may give price breaks if people buy a decent amount.  Like if you buy over 100 cards, they are 3 cents each  or something.  What do you think?

Dime Boxes - Baseball(~2500) and Basketball(~1000)
A better grade of cards here, but still not super.  Here is a scan of 9 random cards I pulled from the baseball dime box.

There are better cards than these in there, and worse as well I suppose.  Again, I will likely give discounts for volume.


70's commons (~2000) from 1971-75
Many of these have condition issues and they are all commons with very few semistars.  I'm thinking dimes, but maybe nickels?  What do you think?
 
Plastic semi-rigid cases with price tags on them (~750, fills a 3000 count box)
Here are examples:

2 cents each? 1?  3 for a penny?  Any input on this is appreciated.  I'm hoping to get someone to make me an offer on the whole box.  I'm thinking around $10 maybe?


Anyway, that is mostly it.  I have some other random stuff (small sets, oddball) that I might take.  ANY input on this is greatly appreciated.

I don't know how to finish this post...

Um, Rock On!?!?

Bracket Challenge - Master Photo Edition

Hello and welcome to another edition of Nachos Grande's Brackett Challenge!  I have made it to the Elite 8 and hope to get to the Final Four!!

Today I'm going up against the Junior Junkie!!  He's great, I doubt I will be able to beat him.  Especially since he wrote almost the same thing for this round as I was going to!!  Go take a look here, it is quite good.  I'll wait.  You back??  Good!

Like I said, he wrote the same basic thing I was planning, I guess great minds think alike.  So I had to fall back on my backup plan.  Here it is!!

As you probably know, here is the card I was assigned to write about:

It's a beauty ain't it?  Immediately, I thought of two things.  First, why is Sexy Rexy holding sooo tight to that pole, and second, where did his lips go?????  I set out to find the answer!!

My research led me to this GIF of Rex from his Color Analyst days.  It didn't help me understand the pole thing any better, so I moved on.

 

The best place to find anything out is in your own collection, so I dug in and found all of the Rex Hudler cards I could.

So what I found was a Stadium Club Master Photo.  Anyone remember those?  Below is a Mark McGwire Master Photo.  They took the photo from the card and gave you a little more around the outside, added a nice banner and walla! you have a Master Photo.  they are a little hard to store since they are so big, but they are a cool oddball, if you're into that kind of thing.

Anyway, I found the Master Photo for the Rex Hudler 'I love this pole' card.  Here it is:

Right off the bat, I noticed that there is some extra stuff around the edges.  Stuff that Topps must have cropped out.  The detective in me perked up!  This must be a clue to Hudler's strange behavior.

What could they be??  On the left, we have some skin and maybe plastic?  Could be an arm.  On the right, some sharp looking stick?  Definitely clues, but I'm not Sherlock Holmes enough to figure it out.

What to do???

Well I don't know what you would have done, but I called up my secret contact at Topps, code named Santa Clause, and explained my predicament.  He let me in on some super secret knowledge.  Not only did Topps Make these awesome Master Photos cards, but a very few super-special 'Master' Master Photos!!!!!!!

Just like the Master Photos gave a little more photo around the edge, the 'Master' Master Photos give even more!

He let me take a look at the 'Master' Master Photo for the Rex Hudler card, but he warned me that I might not like what I was about to see.  Since he warned me, I'll warn you.  If you are faint of heart, don't scroll down....



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....ok, here we go.... the 'Master' Master Photo looks like....



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Great Scott!!  No wonder Topps never released it!  Direct proof of the Roids scandal!  And it explains the Hudler card perfectly.  Why is he holding on to the pole for dear life??  Because McGwire is about to shoot him up!  Why does he appear to have no lips?  Because Canseco tore them off and put them on his hand so he would have somebody to talk to!

Well, I can't believe it, but there is the proof in indisputable photographic evidence.  If I didn't feel bad for Rex Hudler before, I certainly do now.