Help! If You're Going to the National, Please Read This!

Hi now that Panini has announced their wrapper redemption program: http://paniniamerica.wordpress.com/2011/07/31/panini-america-provides-specifics-on-its-national-wrapper-redemption-program/

I have six wrappers of Totally Certified that are worth two redemption packs each for 12 total.
I would really appreciate it if someone could receive these packs in the mail and redeem them at the show. I would get the wrappers out on Monday, so it would be preferable that you live near the show or leave later in the week.
I'll send you some cards in return or some of the packs, whatever you prefer.


And why doesn't Shaun White have a Ginter or Goodwin auto?

Thanks!

Weekend Deals 7/30/11: 2011 Platinum, Ginter, Totally Certified, Topps Football!

Over at Dave and Adam's Card World, they are having a Summer Sale on nearly every item.
Be careful however, lots of the items with the summer sale image/description aren't actually on sale. The only products on sale seem to be cases of retail so this sale is pretty meh.

This week at Blowout Cards, highlights include:

2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Baseball Hobby Box$74.00  $64.95 Save: $9.05 off

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball Hobby Box$82.95  $77.95 Save: $5.00 off

2010/11 Panini Totally Certified Basketball Hobby Box$94.95  $92.95 Save: $2.00 off


These are some of the lowest prices I've seen for Ginter and Totally Certified.

Atlanta Sports Cards has by far the best deals this week with a huge amount of specials including on new items.

2011 Topps Football Box$52.99  $45.99 Save: $7.00 off

2011 Bowman Platinum Baseball Box$98.99  $89.99 Save: $9.00 off

2010-11 Panini Gold Standard Basketball Box$167.99  $152.99 Save: $15.00 off

2011 Topps Allen & Ginter Baseball Box$82.99  $76.99 Save: $6.00 off

2010 Press Pass PE Kickoff Blaster Football Box$34.99  $24.99 Save: $10.00 off

2006 Upper Deck Ovation Baseball Box$33.99  $24.99 Save: $9.00 off

They also have a lot of older boxes from the early 2000's on sale if you're interested.

2010 Topps Magic Hobby Box Break

Topps Magic is a $80-90 product that promises 3 autos per box. However, the product is all about the Short Prints, Minis, and Beautiful Base cards. 

Here, take a look at the 8 Short Prints I pulled to get familiar with the base if you haven't seen it yet.

These cards are definitely beautiful and I can't think of anything negative to say about them. However, something just doesn't click with me and I don't want to collect the base at all. There are some serious set builders out there though, and this product has looots of short prints and various minis. The set also includes Stamp and Relic Cards that are pretty rare.

The top three cards are the three insert sets available in Magic. Why do I keep pulling Tebow?!?!

I pulled four black-bordered minis and an Aikman Pigskin mini numbered out of 50. I also pulled around 40 regular minis in 24 total packs. I also pulled a very thick stack of rookies. The checklist is extremely deep which is both a good and a bad thing. Most of the rookies I pulled are no-name players.

Here are the three hits I got. They're pretty bad but with the checklist, it's hard to pull a good auto. However, if you want to buy a single auto, they are really cheap. Even the Chrome Legend Autos numbered to 10 have been going for only $60. Most autos go for around $10 and these are sticker autos.

Magic is definitely a fun break, and the enjoyment comes from sorting through base looking for short prints and checking out which minis you pulled. However, the price point could definitely drop a little bit with the low quality player hits. Enjoying this box comes down to whether you like the base or not. As I said before, the base are beautiful, but for some reason they don't click with me at all and I have no urge to collect them.

On the side, my Target had boxes of packs, rack packs, and lots of blasters of Bowman Platinum two days ago. I enjoyed my rack pack so much I went back today and all of the Platinum was gone and replaced with Allen & Ginter. Someone really bought a lot of Platinum...

I DID IT

IT TOOK COUNTLESS HOBBY BOXES, BLASTERS, AND PACKS BUT AFTER PULLING 6 VARIOUS TEBOW INSERTS AND ROOKIES INCLUDING AN EBAY 1/1 I FINALLY GOT A BRADFORD ROOKIE!

Who says it's a $3 card that doesn't need a magnetic case?

It defies all logic, but this is by far the best pull I've ever had. I am so happy. In case you don't know, Bradford is my favorite current player by far, and I have opened boxes after boxes and lots of blasters without pulling a single rookie.

Of course, fate had to be cruel and I pulled this card before the Bradford.

YESSSS!!!

July Card Show Pickups #5: Random Cards.

Here are the rest of the cards I picked up, mostly base and inserts.

I love that Dirk throwback. The picture fits perfectly with the card theme. The Kidd is from a basketball offering centered around gold. That sounds familiar... The Sprewell had a seal on top that preserved the shinyness of the card.

The Dirk is an ebay 1/1 (41/249).  I thought I'd pickup some Yao base after his retirement, and Hibbert and Hickson have potential. Those masterpiece rookies look really nice.

The Favre is a clear, cool looking card  and I love those masterpiece cards.

All cards that are not Mavericks or Warriors and the Gerhart are for trade.

Favorite Retail Product of the Year So Far: Bowman Platinum Value Pack

First of all, I was surprised to see Bowman Platinum and no Allen and Ginter anywhere. Last year, I wasn't
a fan of Platinum because of the weird silver framing and background. This year, I was extremely surprised
by a huge jump in quality.

I picked up a $9 value pack with 3 packs and 3 exclusive Purple refractors. The base look unbelievably better than last year.

Here is the 2011 Base I got in my packs.

They are hard to scan, but they all have the refractor finish common to topps and bowman products. They look great in real life.The backgrounds are crisp and the players really pop. Normally, refractors are about 1:3 packs in other Topps/Bowman products, but each card in platinum is a beautiful refractor. Also, each player I got is an all-star.

Here is the 2010 base.

The name at the bottom looks kind of cheap and the background is faded out by a boring silver/gray.

Here are the purple prospect refractors, which honestly are the worst cards from the value pack. The players don't stand out well against the purple at all.

Here are the prospects and rookies. The prospect have a bit of a curve to them.

I also got these two inserts in the packs. The Freddie Freeman Ruby is 1:20 packs and the Skole Prospect X-fractor is 1:4 packs. The Freeman is really nice and majestic.

All cards are for trade.

July Card Show Pickups #4: FOOTBALL IS BACK

First of all, I have to laugh at the Seahawks and 49ers. Matt Leinart, Tarvaris Jackson, and Alex Smith? Really? The Cardinals are busy with John Skelton and possibly Kevin Kolb who they'll probably have to give up a good player or high draft pick for. Things are looking good for the Rams who signed top safety Quintin Mikell today and have Josh McDaniels and Sam Bradford running the offense. You can probably tell, but football is by far my favorite sport even though I still follow baseball, basketball, and tennis closely. For me, rams football is my obsession.

I picked up this card, but I still don't have a real rookie card of Sam Bradford. I've opened way too much 2010 football looking for him and I have two more boxes coming this week. Meanwhile, I have a Tebow Bowman insert rookie, Certified Potential Insert numbered 001/999, and a Tebow Hit that you'll see below.

sigh...

From the same $1 table as the Bradford and the Ginter relics, I also picked up these Suh rookies. The Donruss is numbered to 999.

Here are my rams pickups, the Torry Holt X-fractor is numbered to 250 and looks really trippy in the scan. Fendi Onobun is a converted basketball player who will be fighting to make the roster at tight end. He's a freak athelete but extremely raw. With Lance Kendricks and Hoomanawanui catching passes and Bajema blocking, he'll compete with UDFA Schuylar Oordt to make the roster. The Faulk actually has an orange 45 in the background but is kind of hard to see.

I picked up this nasty three color Packers patch numbered out of 50 for $3. Ryan Grant will be the frontrunner for the starting job in Green Bay this season after missing 2010 due to injury. This patch is incredible and Threads seems like a pretty good mid-end product along with Gridiron Gear.

I'm a fan of the Bowman Sterling relics because of the simple and clean silver finish. Also, I probably won't buy a $60 pack but the relics are widely available. The jersey swatches are pretty nice.

I was about to buy a Derrick Favors Auto Patch from a dealer when someone picked it up a second before I asked. The dealer saw this and offered to throw in any $4 card for free, and I picked this dual jersey numbered out of 99. Please someone take this off my hands so I can add some Bradford to my collection.

Seriously, someone take this Tebow off my hands.

July Card Show Pickups #3: Cards I Hope Joe Likes

Joe from The Sandlot has a Mel Ott Jersey I'm interested in. I was hoping to find a relic or something at the card show, but all I could find were three Piazza cards that definitely aren't enough. Oh well.

Hopefully I'll come across some Mets relics soon!

My Dream Buy

Pro Football Hall of Fame Bronze Bust Cards

This is it. The most exclusive card collection ever offered by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Showcasing every legendary member of the Hall, it will be coveted by every serious fan of the game.

 Only 150 limited-edition sets available.
 Each card hand-numbered and adorned with Pro Football Hall of Fame hologram.
 Includes all 260 enshrinees, including Class of 2010.
 Original signatures from legendary Hall of Famers.
 Stunning, high-resolution photography with accompanying career accomplishments.
 Each set comes with Certificate of Authenticity.
 Cards displayed in exclusive collector's-edition binder with Official Pro Football Hall of Fame logo.
 Offered at $5,000.

This limited-edition release will generate unlimited demand from collectors and NFL enthusiasts.

But only 150 will own this one-of-a-kind treasure.

Anyone have $5,000 to spare?

July Card Show Pickups #2: Random Baseball

The class of '36 is as good as it gets. Five of the best to every play the game.

I picked up this Cy Young because the deal was $10 for 25 cards. It's a nice looking card from a product I doubt I will ever buy.

Nothing like a nice die-cut, and it's definitely appropriate for the 11 time Gold Glove winner.

This Cecil Fielder is pretty cool with a distorted shiny pattern in the background and I like the shocked expression on his face.

The Eckersley is nice and shiny in real life and I can't stop staring at the mustache.

I can't resist a knuckleballer rookie.

The Fielder, Cy Young, and Wakefield are for trade.

July Card Show Pickups #1: Allen & Ginter Relics

First of all: The lockout is over!

This series highlights some cards I picked up at the card show yesterday.

One table was selling these A & G relics for $1 a piece, so I picked up all of the remaining ones for use in trades. As you all know, these are nice looking cards, so if you're interested in any card, let me know. They are all for trade.

Jered Weaver has been unbelievably dominant this year.

Trade with Manupatches and Chrome Scratches

Recently I sent Eric some letter patches in return for base, inserts, and some miscellaneous hits.
Here are some of the cards he sent:

Here's some older Dirk goodness and really nice looking base from contenders. The last row has some old-school Chris Mullin.

Here's a beautiful lot of Kidd rookie cards and inserts.

Some more nice base.

Here are some highlights from a huge lot of Giants with a lot of Will Clark. I really like the shots on the Darren Lewis and Will Clark.

Here are some hits he sent me and one of four Hakim rookies in the package, these are all for trade except the Vanegas, Thabeet, and Hakim. AJ Vanegas will be pitching at Stanford this year so hopefully I can see him play. A 7th round pick this year, he has potential.

Thanks for the trade!

Trade Package from Emerald City Diamond Gems

I probably should have posted this  two weeks ago, but here it is. In return for the 2011 Topps Series 2 Mariners Team Set, Larry over at Emerald City Diamond Gems sent over some awesome vintage! As someone who recently returned to collecting and only collected mildly throughout the 90s, I'm sure these cards will get me more into vintage. He sent me lots of Giants from 1979 and 1981 Topps in addition to my favorites below.

"Big Fun Game" Over at Napkin Doon's

Go checkout his blog and a chance to enter his Big Fun Game!

Trade Bait: Hits

Al Jefferson Totally Certified Red Auto /25

Ray Allen Hot Prospects Jersey (from a Sonics Jersey)

Grant Hill 2008 MVP Game Night Souvenirs Jersey (from a Magic Jersey)

Iguodala Totally Certified Blue Jersey/99

Shaq Totally Certified Red Jersey /249

Hasheem Thabeet Certified Potential Jersey /599

Eric Bledsoe Totally Certified Rookie Jersey Auto /599

Iguodala Totally Certified Fabric of the Game /299

Hank Blalock Dress Code Jersey Bat /100

Adrian Gonzalez UD Game Jersey

Brett Gardner Topps 60 Jersey

Kevin Smith Rookie Progression Auto

Arrelious Benn Saturday Signatures

Carlos Rogers Senior Standouts Jersey

Corey Dillon Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity Jersey /55

Dustin Keller Rookie Premiere Materials Jersey

Sean Witherspoon Leaf Rookies & Stars Auto /299

Brandon Burton Emerald Saturday Signatures /99

Derrick Morgan Significant Signatures Rookie Auto /299

Tony Pike Topps Chrome Rookie Auto

Drake Nevis Emerald Saturday Signatures /99

Rob Gronkowski Initial Steps Rookie Jersey /99

Kevin Smith Rookie Premiere Materials

Matt Forte Rookie Premiere Materials

John Elway Fabric of the Game Jersey /250

Early Doucet III War Room Materials /250

Dexter McCluster Saturday Signatures Auto

Dallas Clark Decades of Dominance Auto 1/10

Eric Decker Freshman Fabric Patch Auto /699

Jordan Shipley Gold Prime Certified Potential Patch /50

Mike Ditka Immortal Lettermen Manupatch /120

Not Pictured:

Larry Johnson Deuce McAllister NFL Reflections Dual Jersey /99

Isaac Galloway Razor Letterman Auto 

Blowout Cards Blowout Special on 2011 Allen and Ginter! 23 Boxes Remaining!

2011 Allen and Ginter $79.99, 23 boxes remaining. Hope someone out there finds this notification useful since I know how many people love Allen & Ginter.

Trade Bait Draft

This post is waaay late but about a month ago, I participated in the trade bait draft over at The Great Sports Name Hall of Fame.

Here are my favorites, the Rodman is beautiful in real life and epitomizes shiny 90's inserts. If the Malone floor piece is actually from the all-star game, that's pretty cool. The 1st overall pick, the Dennis Martinez is by far the nicest looking autographed card I have.  I'll probably give away the Blalock on the site soon so be sure to follow!

Here are the rest of the hits, all for trade.

Some random cards from the rest of my picks, the Boots Day was the oldest card available.

I managed to fill out my Crunch Crew Set too!

The draft was awesome and I hope to participate next year!

Heres what SpastikMooss had to say about my picks:
"Picking 1st: Anthony of Cheap Card Collecting (His blog is new - check it out!)
Hits Acquired: 9 (3 autos, 6 relics)
Best Value: Absolutely has to be the LT Gold Victory RC in Round 16. Hits aside, this was the most valuable card in the draft, and Anthony snagged it up much later than I figured it would go. Very cool card.
Best Card: As with Justin, I'm gonna say pick #1. The Dennis Martinez Auto was great, my personal favorite auto, and so I saw no fault with Anthony choosing that card #1. Bummer it wasn't tied to the free box of course, but nice job going with the terrific card given the first pick.
Overall Thoughts: The first pick is hard just like the last pick since you have to wait so long, but I think Anthony did a fabulous job. He got some nice rookie cards, an excellent Karl Malone floor piece on the way back around the first time, and even had some fun with odd sets, picking up a few Crunch Crew and Rock the House inserts. And he also got a shiny Ricky Henderson out of the deal, which is always a good day."

Here is the complete list of cards I picked in order:

1.    Dennis Martinez 1996 Leaf Signature silver ON CARD AUTO

2.    Karl Malone 2001 SP Game Floor Edition FLOOR PIECE

3.    Hank Blalock 2005 Donruss Classics Dress Code JSY/BAT (Serial 015/100)

4.    Brian Wilson 2010 Topps Update ASG JSY

5.    1997 Topps Rock Stars - RS5 (Rodman)

6.    Kevin Smith 2008 Topps Rookie Progression STICKER AUTO RC

7.    08-09 Upper Deck Hot Prospects Ray Allen JSY

8.    2006 Ultimate - 209 (McCovey, Serial 120/799)

9.    05 Leaf Rookies and Stars Corey Dillon JSY (Serial 34/55)

10.  2001 Victory - 374 (Vick RC)

11.  Derrick Morgan 2009 Donruss Classics Significant Signatures STICKER AUTO RC (Serial 140/299)

12.  1972 Topps - 254 (Boots Day)

13.  1992 Panini Stickers 278 (R. Henderson Shiny)

14.  2001 Victory Gold - 416 (LT RC)

15.  Carlos Rogers 2005 Topps Draft Senior Standouts JSY

16.  1995-1996 Hoops Rock the House – 377

17.  2009 Topps Chrome Refractor - C86 (Haden RC)

18.  1989 Topps Big - 55 (Sheff RC)

19.   1989 Topps Coins - 6 (Brett Butler)

20.  1990 Score 554 (Singletary Crunch Crew)

21.  1995-1996 Hoops Rock the House - 387 Karl Malone

22.  2000 Pacific Crown Royale - 18 (Issac Bruce)

23.  1990 Score -  552 (LT Crunch Crew)

24.  1990 Score - 555 (Harris Crunch Crew)


Next: The Emerald City Diamond Gems Trade Package that I should have posted 2 weeks ago.

Happy Birthday to Me!

My first signed jersey ever and from my favorite player. Awesome.

My First Taste of 2011 Allen and Ginter: 4 Hobby Packs

First of all, check out the Totally Certified break below because of the nice Blake Griffin!

All cards are FT except for the McEnroe, Posey and Sogard. What are the SP's this year anyways? I can't tell if the 301-350 are SP's or not.
Pack #1
#234 Chrissie Wellington
#159 Shawn Michaels
#240 Matt Holliday
#244 Chone Figgins
#203 Aaron Hill
#302 John Buck
Mini #242 Cheryl Burke
HH90 Hometown Heroes Ryan Howard

Pack #2
#81 Yonder Alonso
#156 Marlon Byrd
#116 Josh Beckett
#41 Carlos Santana
#166 Geovany Soto
AOM 15 Ascent of Man Catarrhini
PP8 Portraits of Penultimacy Sancho Panza
HH34 Hometown Heroes Chipper Jones

Pack #3
#36 Eric Sogard
#228 Brandon Snyder
#265 Buster Posey
#183 Mike Napoli
#124 Chad Billingsley
#310 Matt Kemp
Mini #345 Zach Greinke
HH24 Hometown Heroes Ryan Zimmerman

Pack #4
#40 John McEnroe
#59 Jeremy Jeffress
#186 Yunel Escobar
#189 Dexter Fowler
#138 Matt Garza
#287 Yovani Gallardo
Mini #61 Brian Roberts
HH26 Hometown Heroes Torii Hunter
Code for 15% a 2011 Allen & Ginter Binder, let me know if you want it.

Box Break Bonanza: 2010 Totally Certified Blake Griffin Insert Mojo

I've been breaking a box everyday this week (but I missed yesterday) so checkout the previous breaks below!

A two days early birthday present and a more high-end break than usual, so this isn't a review. Just an awesome break of a product I love.

Here is the video:

Here are the Inserts:

Reds to 499, Blues to 299

Here are the hits:

Shaq to 249, Bledsoe to 599, Al Jefferson to 25, Iguodala to 99, Mutombo to 99, Iguodala to 299

and the nice Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin Totally Green #4/5!