Card Cache

Card Collectors Fantasy Baseball League Week 1 Award Pack Rip!

2010-04-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

So after the first week of the Card Collectors Fantasy Baseball League on Yahoo Fantasy, I'm in 5th place with a 6-3-1 record. Not a bad start, but even better is that I won the week 1 showdown with Birth of the Cool/Tunguska over at Long Fly Ball to Because, which entitled me to an award pack! It happened to be a 2008 A&G... and here's what I got!

A really nice hit, much more than I was expecting! Thanks again for the pack! :)

Selling or Trading my Daequan Cook Collection!

2010-04-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

I'm parting with my Daequan Cook PC. 82 cards total, 65 auto's with the rest being mostly patch, jersey, parallels, etc.

If you're interested, or know anyone who might be, please let me know. Will either sell or trade as a lot. If trade, I'd really prefer just 1-10 really nice cards in return. Trying to thin out my overall collection. Thanks!

I have an other blog!

2010-03-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

So I realize I haven't posted here in quite a while, turns out I've been in a bit of a card funk lately, with nothing really peaking my interest in the card collecting world.

I do however enjoy blogging, so I've made another blog in a different genre: Thrifting. Please visit it, if you so choose!

Thrifting Vegas

Thanks!

Trades from a Bearded Man

2010-01-13T13:46:00.000-08:00

Fellow blogger Beardy was kind enough to send me these sweet sweet cards in exchange for some O's cards, and since I'm no longer on hiatus I thought I'd show them off.

Johnny Cueto TTT patch auto 71/75. What an awesome card. Sticker auto, yes... but I still love it.

The bat piece on this card looks as if it were pulled from a fire. A fire caused by a BIG RED MACHINE. See what I did there?

This is officially the oldest card I've ever owned. 1931 Play Ball - Harry Francis Craft card #65. Still in great shape too!

Beardy sent many other cards, so if you get a chance to trade with him, go for it... he's very generous!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T15:53:00.001-08:00

Happy 2010 everyone!

The last few months of 2009 have been packed with card-related posts from me, all very interesting and news-worthy. Unfortunately, I've been posting constantly day after day and getting no replies. Turns out, I had changed the post date to Oct/Nov/Dec 2010, so all of my posts were just put in limbo. Sorry about that. ;) It's all fixed now, promise.

Box Break - 2009 Topps Chrome Football Hobby Box.

2009-10-13T22:09:00.001-07:00

I went to my local card shop yesterday, and picked up a box of 2009 Topps Chrome Football for $50. Not a bad deal... and while I did not pull anything great I must say I still enjoy the set very much. Great photography and as always the chrome and refractors just look so cool. My only hit of note was a Mark Sanchez RC, as my auto was no one of interest.

Thrift Store Finds - 1995 X-files MasterVisions 30 art-card collector set!

2009-09-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

I was at one of the many thrift stores here in Las Vegas, when I came across an interesting set of cards priced at only $5. It's the 1995 Topps X-files MasterVisions 30 art card set. These cards are approx. 6.5" x 10", and absolutely beautiful:

The 30 card set contains artwork from several different artists, all depicting either general X-files themes or specific moments from the series. I HR-scanned each card and placed them in a photobucket folder, if you're interested n viewing the entire collection, including what the card backs look like, plus the box so you can hunt for them on your own!

If you're interested in find this set online, it can easily be had for as little as $10 sealed and new, or even $.99 plus shipping for an open set.

I hope you enjoyed checking out this old set as much as I did, and don't forget...

Trust no one.

2009 UD Goodwin Champions is LIVE, but...

2009-09-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

Upper Decks new baseball product, 2009 UD Goodwin Champions, is now live and available for purchase. Aside from the great artwork and on card autos this set contains, there are 1 per case inserts featuring Bugs(Entomology set), Horse Hair and Landmark bits. The mock-up of these cards look great! They are sure to make many collectors squeal with delight upon pulling one of these beautiful cards:

Sadly, it looks as if this will never happen. Sure, the cards are indeed seeded one per case, but instead of pulling a beautiful butterfly you'll be looking at this:

What a shame. Redemptions. Not only that, but you have no idea which Horse or Bug or Landmark you've pulled until you redeem the card, assuming it will even show you then. It simply says "Entomology Bug Cards". There are 31 different cards in the Entomology set. We can only hope that at least some of the physical cards made it in to the boxes, and they are not all redemptions. Unfortunately, so far everything that has shown up is a redemption.

2009 Allen & Ginter Giveaway RESULTS!

2009-08-29T00:37:00.001-07:00

Here they are! The 9 winning numbers for the 2009 Allen & Ginter Giveaway!

Here is the screen capture of the results as well:

So, matching up the numbers to the entrants we get:

1st Pick #99 - AdamE Prize A - A&G Base Set
2nd Pick #116 - Lyricsninja Prize C: Lot of 3 A&G Relic cards, Jay Bruce, Justin Upton and Ryan Howard
3rd Pick #87 - Beardy Prize B: Mike Jacobs Bazooka Back Mini 8/25
4th Pick #110 - madding Prize D: Lot of 8 Box Toppers
5th Pick #25 - JD's Daddy Prize F: Lot of 54 SP Base cards (301-350) 9 cards from complete set
6th Pick #62 - I Am The Average Joe Prize E: Lot of 46 Mini's, both base and SP
7th Pick #51 - cdziuba
8th Pick #3 - Beardy
9th Pick #52 - Michael

Here are the prizes! AdameE gets first pick, and so on:

~~Prize A: Complete 2009 A&G Base set 1-300!~~
~~Prize B: Mike Jacobs Bazooka Back Mini 8/25~~
~~Prize C: Lot of 3 A&G Relic cards, Jay Bruce, Justin Upton and Ryan Howard~~
~~Prize D: Lot of 8 Box Toppers: 4x N43's (Pujols, Hamilton, Sizemore, Matsuzaka and 4x Cabinet (3 leftover from 2008 set)~~
~~Prize E: Lot of 46 Mini's, both base and SP~~
~~Prize F: Lot of 54 SP Base cards (301-350) 9 cards from complete set~~
Prize G: Lot of 18 Baseball Highlights Sketch Card inserts and 9 Code Card Parallels
Prize H: Lot of 118 National Pride insert set cards (about 10 short of complete set)
Prize I: Leftovers! About 250-300 Base cards, not quite making a complete set

There you have it! 8 winners, as adding a link on his blog earned Beardy 2 wins. I think all the bloggers should vote him off the island, he gets too much!

Claim your prize in the comments below! Once the prizes are claimed, we'll get all the shipping information taken care of after. Trades ARE allowed, for example, if Beardy wanted to trade his 2 spots and move up, or vice versa. Work it out in the comments. Enjoy my free stuff!

2009 Allen & Ginter Contest Drawing!

2009-08-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

Put your pencils down! It's over! Ok, here's what we're doing. The order in which you entered the contest is YOUR entry number. If you linked and earned a second entry, you'll get an additional number at the end. I will then use random.org to generate 9 numbers, which will represent the entrants. Then, we'll have our winners!

Here are your numbers:

1 Brian
2 lonestarr
3 Beardy
4 Two Packs a Day
5 siotco1
6 The Ghost of Cory Snyder
7 bdj610
8 Slangon
9 FanOfReds
10 RoofGod
11 Jeremy
12 Collective Troll
13 Captain Canuck
14 Alex
15 Motherscratcher
16 McCann Can Triple
17 AceWild
18 Tunguska
19 Don
20 Greg
21 packaddict
22 darkship
23 Wrigley Wax
24 Joe S.
25 JD's Daddy
26 AdamE
27 Rod
28 Baseball Dad
29 Nathaniel Edwards
30 dkwilson
31 dayf
32 victor
33 bozemanbreaker
34 Drew
35 Carl Crawford Cards
36 Offy
37 Mark's Ephemera
38 yountvmolitor
39 Orioles Magic
40 alwayshopeful
41 SpstikMooss
42 BigD
43 Momforeverandever
44 ManHandle11
45 night owl
46 madding
47 Butch (Don)
48 steveisjewish
49 Duane
50 cubbyblue34
51 cdziuba
52 Michael
53 Jeremy Roe
54 White Sox Cards
55 Candie L
56 Chris
57 csd
58 opoohwhan
59 scottsgal
60 Fuji
61 dgreen1899
62 I Am The Average Joe
63 wickedortega
64 Zach Mabe
65 Core Contrarian
66 Lyricsninja
67 susan
68 ryanmemorabilia
69 Tom.
70 shahekee
71 Grand Cards
72 Nickolay
73 Mr J Mel
74 wendy
75 TheJaw
76 Dan (NY)
77 JustinB521
78 gcrl
79 Tiffany819
80 zman40
81 Andy
82 Erin
83 Dan (CA)
84 1osfan
85 school

Bonus and Late Entries
86 lonestarr
87 Beardy
88 Two Packs a Day
89 Slangon
90 Jeremy
91 Collective Troll
92 Captain Canuck
93 Motherscratcher
94 McCann Can Triple
95 Tunguska
96 Don
97 Greg
98 packaddict
99 AdamE
100 Baseball Dad
101 Nathaniel Edwards
102 dayf
103 Drew
104 Carl Crawford Cards
105 Mark's Ephemera
106 yountvmolitor
107 Orioles Magic
108 SpstikMooss
109 BigD
110 madding
111 cubbyblue34
112 cdziuba
113 White Sox Cards
114 opoohwhan
115 I Am The Average Joe
116 Lyrics Ninja
117 ryanmemorabilia
118 Grand Cards
119 AceWild

2009 Allen & Ginter Contest Update!

2009-08-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

We're in the final few hours to enter the 2009 Allen & Ginter Giveaway! If you haven't already, just follow the blog and post a reply to the main post and you're in!

Once the deadline passes, I will enter everyones name in to a random drawing. 9 names will be selected and posted. After that, the 1st place winner will select their chosen prize in the comments, 2nd place to follow, and so on until all 9 free prizes have been selected!

I took a few pictures of the prizes, good luck and enjoy! (I forgot the box toppers!)

300 card base set, spread out under the boxes

Relics and Bazooka back

Mini's

SP's

National Pride's

Code's and Sketches

Extra base cards

Checkoutmycards.com Update #2

2009-08-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on how Checkoutmycards.com is working out for me on the selling side. I'm currently at $185.20 in sales from 26 items sold. That's a little over $7 per card sold, pretty good in my opinion! Taking in to account I only paid .25 per card to list them, I'd say it's working out well.

Checkoutmycards.com teams up with Blowoutcards.com!

2009-08-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

This is exciting news for those of us who are using checkoutmycards.com to sell our singles:

From this post:

"Now you can use the store credit that you earn from selling cards on CheckOutMyCards.com to buy Blowout Cards gift certificates.

You can than buy factory sealed boxes & cases from Blowout Cards, crack them open, keep the cards you want, and send us the rest to earn more funds to buy more product. Of course, you can also use your store credit on CheckOutMyCards.com to buy other singles or to get cash.

This just the beginning. We will continue to find more innovative ways that we can leverage each others services."

After checking out the site, there is a new option for redeeming your store credit.

The 3 levels of gift cards available are:

At those rates, cashing out $60 with get you $48 cash, or $50 credit at blowoutcards.com. $290 store credit would be $232 cash or $250 credit, and $1150 store credit would be $920 cash or $1000 credit.

There is some benefit, but you really have to wait until your credit climbs to the $290 level to begin to see it. Saving $2 by purchasing a gift certificate over simply using the cash how you'd like it hardly earth shattering.

I'd love to see a sliding scale where you could cash out any amount, take a small hit, and buy a gift certificate to cover your purchase on blowoutcards.com. Certainly to Blowout, leaving the credit in large chunks is most beneficial, but ultimately it hurts the buyer.

2009 Allen & Ginter Giveaway! Complete Base Set, Bazooka Back, Relics and more!

2009-08-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

Having opened over 5 full boxes of 2009 Allen & Ginter Baseball, I've come to the conclusion that I own more of these cards than I'll ever need. That being said, I've decided to give them all away! I'm announcing a contest that is 100% free for everyone to entry and win. Shipping is even on me!

How do I enter, you may be asking? Well, you'll get one entry in to the random drawing by simply becoming a follower of my blog, and replying to this post saying you did so. If you're already a follower, just reply to this post and that's it! Now, if you happen to be a fellow blogger, you're welcome to get a 2nd entry as well! Just make a quick blog post linking to this contest, and let me know you've done so in either your first reply, or a separate one. That's all it takes, and you'll have 2 entries!

Now, on to the prizes! The top winners will be able to CHOOSE which prize they want! Here's what I'm giving away so far, I may add a few more later on as well:

Prize 1: Complete 2009 A&G Base set 1-300!
Prize 2: Mike Jacobs Bazooka Back Mini 8/25
Prize 3: Lot of 3 A&G Relic cards, Jay Bruce, Justin Upton and Ryan Howard
Prize 4: Lot of 8 Box Toppers: 4x N43's (Pujols, Hamilton, Sizemore, Matsuzaka and 4x Cabinet (3 leftover from 2008 set)
Prize 5: Lot of 46 A&G Base/SP Mini's
Prize 6: Lot of 54 SP Base cards (301-350) 9 cards from complete set
Prize 7: Lot of 18 Baseball Highlights Sketch Card inserts and 9 Code Card Parallels
Prize 8: Lot of 118 National Pride insert set cards (about 10 short of complete set)
Prize 9: Leftovers! About 250-300 Base cards, not quite making a complete set

I will enter all the names in to a Random.org list, and the top 9 will get to choose whichever prize they want! Those earning a 2nd entry via a blog link WILL be allowed to win twice! The contest will end 1 week from now, Friday, August 28th at 11:59pm. I will then do the drawing Saturday, and ship out to the winners the following week!

Remember, just reply to this thread saying you're now following this blog and want in the contest, and you're in! For another entry, post in your blog linking to the contest. That's it! Best of luck to everyone who enters, and enjoy my free stuff!

Las Vegas announces new UFL team name: The Locomotives! Wait, what?

2009-08-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

After months of ~~eager anticipation~~ mild interest, the UFL has announced the team name of their Las Vegas franchise. We are the Las Vegas Locomotives! You read that correctly, the Locomotives. As it turns out, Las Vegas was established in 1905 as a railroad town. Who knew! Here is a quote from league commissioner Michael Huyghue:

“It was critical for us to select team names that we felt best reflected the local community while simultaneously defining the personality of the team,” said Commissioner Huyghue. “Las Vegas was originally established in 1905 with the opening of the Salt Lake, San Pedro and Los Angeles Railroads. We wanted to honor the vast history of the city and the intrinsic benefits that this innovation provided to the community.”

Honoring the history of a city or region is a wonderful concept. Doing so in a town like Las Vegas is a very poor decision. Nearly everyone I know in Las Vegas is originally from somewhere else. It is the nature of our city. Very few people are true natives, and those who are seem to hold no real sense of pride in their city or community. Choosing a name based upon how a transient city was founded shows an extreme lack of knowledge of who actually make up the residents of Las Vegas.

Let's move along to the team colors. The UFL has selected Blue, Silver and White as the official team colors for the Las Vegas Locomotives. Normally, there would be nothing wrong with this color combination. However, it again shows the lack of research and understanding put in to this decision. Las Vegas is not a football town, but we do have some fans. Most of those are fans of UNLV football. The team will also play on UNLV's home field, Sam Boyd Stadium. UNLV's school colors are Scarlet and Gray. UNLV's hated rival, University of Nevada - Reno's school colors are, wait for it: Silver, Blue and White.

You're trying to establish a fan based, most of which will come from the UNLV football fans and you're asking them to wear similar colors to their most hated college rival? Brilliant. It's like establishing a new NFL team in Columbus, OH., and selecting Maze and Blue as the team colors. Not to mention that Sam Boyd Stadium looks like this:

There is already talk that the name will be shortened to Las Vegas Locos. Probably just wishful thinking, but at this point I'm not sure anyone cares. Las Vegas is starved for some kind of professional sports team. Even a "minor league" football team such as the UFL is providing could have been the start of something wonderful for the local sports loving community. Sadly, I feel that due to an exceptional lack of judgement, todays announcement will do nothing but prolong our city's craving for a real professional sports team.

Mail Day! - 2008/09 UD Premier Basketball Patches

2009-08-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

Got some pretty nice stuff in the mail over the past couple days, but I just wanted to show off these 4 patches from 2008-09 UD Premier Basketball:

I got some really nice baseball autos/jerseys as well, along with a sweet Reds package from Beardy. I'll post those this weekend!

Checkoutmycards.com Update

2009-08-01T12:58:00.001-07:00

Just a quick update on how my Checkoutmycards.com account is doing. I've been selling on the site a little over 2 days now with $50.50 in sales, having sold 8 of the 96 cards I've sent in. I've sold 4 straight up for the asking price, and the other 4 I've accepted offers slightly lower than the asking price, usually about 50% off book.

I have to say I'm very pleasantly surprised. The cards I sent in were ok, a few nice ones but nothing spectacular. The site really does seem to attract buyers, and they are spending money. I'm going to send in another 300 or so and see how that works out, based upon this early success. I'll keep it updated here.

Checkoutmycards.com Selling Experiment

2009-07-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

About a month back, I decided to test out Checkoutmycards.com as a selling option. I signed up for an account, and started putting together a group of cards to send in and sell. I settled on sending in about 100 cards, which ended up being 96.

CardCache Seller's Page

The process was fairly simple. Package up your cards, send them in, and make sure your COMC's account has enough money in it to cover the processing fees. I opted for the "Priority" level of processing, which is the 2nd of 3 tiers. The processing cost would be $27 and would take 3 weeks.

My cards arrived at the COMC facility on July 15th. I was given an estimated final process date of August 6th, roughly 21 days from arrival.

Early this morning, around 3am PST, I received an email stating my shipment was processed and my cards were ready to price! This is a week ahead of schedule, so needless to say I'm very pleased.

If you have not used COMC to sell yet, I'll give you a little glimpse in to the sellers back-end. Once your shipment is processed, you're taken to the "Manage Inventory" section of your Seller Dashboard. This section lists every card you have available and gives you several options for each card.

You'll notice that you are provided with the option set a sale price, flag item to ship(back to you), or set item as not for sale. You are provided with the current Beckett price for each card, as well as the image of your actual card, and an option to notify the staff if your card is listed incorrectly.

After setting all the asking prices for your cards, you can check your overall status on your dashboard. Here's what mine looks like as of right now:

I added prices to all my cards about at 1pm. About 5 minutes after setting those prices I sold my first card, a 2008-09 SPX
Anthony Randolph JSY AU RC for $10.00. This was awesome. I honestly envisioned my cards sitting there, having to lower the prices over and over until I felt they were being given away.

It is now 6 hours since I've set prices, and I've sold 2 more cards. The last card I sold, actually as I was writing this post, was a 2009 AG Auto card I pulled during the Gint-A-Cuffs. The Mike Lowell auto card had a book value of $25. I listed it 20% off book, at $20. I received an offer for the card, and we settled on $12.50, which is 50% off book, a fair price for each party.

As it stands now, I've sold 3 cards for a total of $26, only $1 less than my processing fee cost. I'm basically even now, with 93 cards left to sell. Overall I must say I'm really impressed with the site and the service. There ARE buyers on the site, and it's so much easier than worrying about eBay and Paypal. I'll continue to update my progress and experience with this site for all to see as well. If anyone has any questions about the service, hopefully I can help!

How To: Shipping your cards safely and inexpensively using Paypal Ship Now

2009-07-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

Trading cards with our friends is truly what this hobby is all about. Being able to get a card of player you love in exchange for someone else's favorite player is a wonderful experience for both involved. It's fun, easy, and rewarding for both!

The internet has made it even easier to find willing trade partners for your cards. The problem however, is how does one cut down on the high cost of shipping to make this practice worthwhile? I hope to help some of you with this very issue.

What will you need? Only a few things you probably already have, to make shipping cards fast, safe, inexpensive and EASY.

1. Paypal account. Why? I'll explain this later.
2. Printer or access to one. (school, parents, work, etc.)
3. Postal Scale. This is actually not as expensive as it sounds. A cheap, quality scale can be had for around $10 at Walmart or other office supply stores.

Some of you may use the internet to create and print shipping labels already. That's great, but you're probably using the USPS, FedEx or UPS sites. These sites are good in some instances, but usually only for larger packages. I'm going to show you a better way.

Here is the reason for the Paypal account: Paypal Ship Now

That link accesses the shipping section of Paypal, usually reserved for eBay purchases. Very few people know that you can use Paypal to ship your packages that are not eBay related. It's an amazing service that I will show you now.

When you click the link above, you will be directed to a log in page for PayPal. It will look like this:

Once there, log in to your paypal account. You will then be directed to this page:

Now, you'll notice your address should already be there, pulled straight from your Paypal account info. Yes that is my address. I enjoy receiving Cincinnati Reds cards in the mail, along with beef jerky and candy. If you happen to be shipping from another location, you can edit that section.

On the right you'll find the Ship To information, this is obviously where you put the address to where you are shipping.

Now the interesting stuff. The section below the address lines is called Shipment Information. This section is what makes this site so wonderful. The default Carrier is the USPS. This is your best option for card sized packages. UPS takes much longer and costs way more. Using UPS for larger packages is sometimes advised, but not now.

The next line is Service Type. When you click this, you'll be given 5 options:

-Priority Mail (2-3 Days)
-Express Mail (Next Day)
-First Class Mail Parcel (2-5 Days)
-Media Mail (2-9 Days)
-Parcel Post (2-9 Days)

If you've shipping using the USPS website before, you may immediately see why this link is different and useful. The USPS website will allow you to ship using Express Mail and Priority Mail, but not the other 3 options. Using the First Class Mail Parcel option, your package will arrive in virtually the same amount of time, and at considerably less cost.

So let's see this in action. I will do a comparison of shipping via USPS (which will also give us the exact same rate we would get if we went to the Post Office), and shipping using Paypal Ship Now.

I'm shipping a box to Beardy, who is of course located in Maryland. The box is small, and 11 ounces. Using the USPS website the least expensive option is Priority Mail, which if paid online is $4.80, including delivery confirmation. If paid at the post office, which most of us do, it's $4.95 + .70 for delivery confirmation.

Let's she what we can get using Paypal Ship Now. Selecting First Class Mail Parcel, I'm given several new options:

Package size will be Package/Thick Envelope, as we're just shipping cards. You'll notice Delivery Confirmation is included at only .19, more than USPS online, but much less that at the post office. You can also purchase insurance in this section, as well as Signature Confirmation.

After clicking continue, let's see what we get:

So using this option, our shipping including delivery confirmation is only $3.11. That's a pretty decent savings, but lets look further. Let's say we're shipping just a regular small yellow bubble mailer containing a few cards, as is the case most of the time. These usually weigh in at 3-4 ounces. When we change the weight to 4 ounces, keeping all the settings the same (as the shipping option states "Package/Thick Envelope"), we get this:

$1.92 for a bubble mailer, including delivery confirmation, shipped via First Class mail that will arrive in only 2-5 days. The best part, you've wasted zero time/gas having to visit the Post Office to get this price. You can simply drop in your outgoing mail, a postal box or whatever option works best for you.

In addition to the cheaper, more efficient shipping, you also get the benefit of paying for your shipment using Paypal. This is a big help for those who like to use Paypal for all card related purchases on ebay, etc.

I hope this can help some of you save both time and money when shipping cards, and hopefully make others more willing to participate in trading, which will benefit all of us addicted to this hobby!

30th Birthday update!

2009-07-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Good day so far... won $100 at video poker waiting to pick up my cake. :) I may save that $100 and post a poll to determine what boxes I spend it on.

More updates in a bit!

It's my 30th Birthday Today! Huzzah!

2009-07-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 30 years old. I woke up to my bones aching, hair line receding and memory fading. Nah, actually I felt fine! Getting old is easy!

Since I no longer keep a personal blog, I'll use this one to describe what my birthday weekend might include.

Every year since I've moved here to Las Vegas, my birthday includes some sort of gambling. I've hit for $1000 2 of the 4 years here so far, so here's hoping I can move my average to .600. The $1 Wheel of Fortune slots will be a part of this action for sure.

Cake will also have a role this weekend. Last year I got myself this cake:

That's right. A dinosaur cake. A dinosaur wearing sandals even. Be jealous.

Always leave the head for last... that is proper dinosaur cake etiquette.

The dinosaur cake is strictly for me. At my party tomorrow, we'll be having a Nothing Bundt Cake. So delicious. If you can get your hands on one, I suggest you do so immediately.

After the small party planned tomorrow, we'll be watching the new Harry Potter flick.

So there you have it. A weekend full of gambling, cakes shaped like dinosaurs and Harry Potter. What more could a fresh 30 year old ask for!

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs! Box 2 Box Break Highlights

2009-07-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

Box 2 ended up earning approx. 270 points, so no need to do a pack by pack breakdown on it. I'll post the video later on, but here are the highlights!

Ryan Braun Auto

Delmon Young Silk 7/10

Ichiro Jersey Relic

Carlos Quentin Jersey Relic

4 hits, but not enough SP and other stuff to beat my first box. Still very thrilled about both boxes though! That's the best auto I've ever pulled, and the lowest #'d card ever as well. Both from the same box!

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs! Box 1 Video Break

2009-07-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

As it stands now, Box 1 yielded exactly 300 points, which is the same score Beardy got on his best box. My next box has one great hit in it and a bunch of normal stuff... .so 300 might be my high mark for the contest. Here's the video of Box 1, split in 2 parts. Enjoy!

Part 1:

Part 2:

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs! Box 1 Packs 19-24

2009-07-16T01:33:00.000-07:00

Pack 19:

100 Ichiro - Mariners
271 Jair Jurrjens - Braves
109 Samuel Morse
155 Yadier Molina - Cardinals
28 Ervin Santana - Angels
209 St. Patrick's Cathedral
106 Mike Jacobs Mini Bazooka Back 8/25 - Royals +20 points

NP52 Daisuke Matsuzaka - Red Sox

Pack 19 Total: +20 points

Pack 20:

2 Zack Greinke - Royals
267 Melvin Mora - Orioles
75 David Wright - Mets +2 points Fav Player list

149 Chipper Jones - Braves +2 points Fav Player list

239 Chris Carpenter - Cardinals
64 Jordan Zimmerman - Nationals
NH35 Damjanich +5 points

NP68 Ichiro

Pack 20 Total: +9 points

Pack 21:

70 Rick Ankiel - Cardinals
170 Lance Berkman - Astros
143 Robbie Maddison
25 Evan Longoria - Rays +2 points Fav Player list

277 Kerry Wood - Indians
212 Mariel Zagunis
20 Adam Jones Mini - Orioles
NP54 Carlos Zambrano - Cubs

Pack 21 Total: +2 points

Pack 22:

288 Joe Saunders - Angels
144 Joakim Soria - Royals
258 Felix Hernandez - Mariners
298 Dan Haren - DBacks
243 Alexander Cartwright
310 Old Faithful +4 points SP

105 Kurt Suzuki Mini - Athletics
NP51 Albert Pujols

Pack 22 Total: +4 points

Pack 23:

152 Phil Coke - Yankees -1 point
47 J.J. Hardy - Brewers
66 Alex Rodriguez - Yankees -1 point
132 Anna Tunnicliffe
328 Matt Laporta - Indians +5 points SP

AGHS21 David Price - Rays +3 points Sketch card

239 Chris Carpenter Mini AG Back +2 points

NP59 Miguel Cabrera- Tigers

Pack 23 Total: +8 points

Pack 24:

227 Nelson Cruz - Rangers
207 Jack Cust - Athletics
284 Kenshin Kawakami - Braves
146 Rich Harden - Cubs
AGR-JRH Rich Harden Relic - Cubs +8 points Relic

134 Jered Weaver Mini - Angels
NP66 Joba Chamberlain - Yankees -1 point

Pack 24 Total: +7 points

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs! Box 1 Packs 13-18

2009-07-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

Pack 13:

221 Brandon Webb - DBacks
193 Khalil Greene - Cardinals
192 Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals
171 Brett Anderson - Athletics
38 Troy Glaus - Cardinals
323 Derek Jeter - Yankees +6 points SP Yankee Fav Player list

213 Stephanie Brown Trafton Mini AG Back + 2 points

NP69 Ryan Rowland-Smith - Mariners

Pack 13 Total: +8 points

Pack 14:

184 Chris Young - DBacks
210 Johan Santana - Mets
58 Brad Hawpe - Rockies
101 Andrew Bailey - Athletics
49 Ubaldo Jimenez - Rockies
15 Alfred Nobel
HHB17 James Reavis +5 points Hoax

NP62 Ryan Braun +4 points

Pack 14 Total: +9 points

Pack 15:

7 John Smoltz - Red Sox
103 Aaron Harang - Reds +1 point Fav Team

279 Jon Lester - Red Sox
162 Shane Victorino - Phillies
104 Jeff Francoeur - Braves
208 Michael Young - Rangers
NH12 Nevsky +5 points

NP56 Edinson Volquez - Reds +2 points Fav Team

Pack 15 Total: +8 points

Pack 16:

200 Carlos Quentin - White Sox
231 David Murphy - Rangers
105 Kurt Suzuki - Athletics
161 Justin Morneau - Twins
330 Christian Guzman - Nationals +5 points SP

AGHS20 CC Sabathia +3 points Sketch Card

67 Ian Kinsler Mini - Rangers
NP53 Vladimir Guerrero - Angels

Pack 16 Total: +8 points

Pack 17:

262 Magglio Ordonez - Tigers
134 Jered Weaver - Angels
40 Jeremy Hermida - Marlins
224 Tim Lincecum - Giants +2 points Fav Player List

76 Brandon Phillips - Reds +1 point Fav Team

5 Luke Hochevar Code Card - Royals +? points

263 Brian Duensing Mini Black Border - Twins +3 points

NP60 Stephen Drew - DBacks

Pack 17 Total: +6 or more points

Pack 18:

175 Alfonso Soriano - Cubs
283 Mike Aviles - Royals
72 Carlos Lee - Astros
86 Michael Cuddyer - Twins
211 Kevin Millwood - Rangers
128 Red Moore - Negro League +2 points

183 Pedro Feliz Mini Black Border - Phillies +3 points

NP70 Carlos Pena - Rays

Pack 18 Total: +5 points

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs! Box 1 Packs 7-12

2009-07-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

Pack 7:

223 Scott Rolen - Blue Jays
110 Kevin Youkilis - Red Sox
201 Travis Snider - Blue Jays
51 Ryan Perry - Tigers
AGR-TL Tim Lincecum Relic - Giants +40 points Fav Player Relic

177 David Freeese Mini - Cardinals
NP58 Derek Jeter - Yankees +3 points

Pack 7 Total: +43 points

Pack 8:

115 Ryan Doumit - Pirates
138 Garrett Atkins - Rockies
37 Andre Ethier - Dodgers
45 Derrek Lee - Cubs
95 David Patton - Cubs
305 Javier Vazquez - Braves +5 points SP

116 Charles Darwin Mini AG Back + 2 points

NP55 Kosuke Fukodome +4 points

AG Code Card Ad

Pack 8 Total: +11 points

Pack 9:

9 Ryan Theriot - Cubs
94 Paul Maholm - Pirates
260 Louis Braille
220 Suez Canal -1 point
145 Todd Wellemeyer - Cardinals
304 Yunel Escobar - Braves +5 points SP

136 Mickey Mantle Mini - Yankees -1 point
NP63 - Carlos Beltran - Mets

Pack 9 Total: +3 points

Pack 10:

233 John Lackey - Angels
222 Akinori Iwamura - Rays
68 Jaime Moyer - Phillies
248 Colby Rasmus - Cardinals
48 Brigham Young
225 David Price - Rays
233 John Lackey Code Card +? points

121 Ryan Church Mini - Mets
NP72 Edgar Gonzalez - Padres

Pack 10 Total +? points

Pack 11:

52 Aaron Hill - Blue Jays
77 Francisco Liriano - Twins
238 Vincent Van Gogh
253 Miguel Cabrera - Tigers
297 Kolan McConiughey
327 Kenki Johjima - Mariners +4 points SP

337 Billy Butler Mini - Royals + 7 points Mini SP

NP61 Mark Teahen - Royals
AG Code Card Ad

Pack 11 Total: +11 points

Pack 12:

5 Luke Hochevar - Royals
216 Derek Lowe - Braves
294 Tim Hudson - Braves
82 Justin Verlander - Tigers
340 Richard Gatling +5 points SP

AGHS23 Brad Lidge +3 points Sketch Card

LMT15 Chupacabra +7 points

NP71 Josh Hamilton +4 points

Pack 12 Total: +19 points

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs! Box 1 Packs 1-6

2009-07-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

Topper: Albert Pujols N43 +5 points

Pack 1:
56 Daniel Murphy - Mets
289 Milky Way -1 point
34 Ryan Dempster - Cubs
339 Jordan Schafer - Braves +5 points SP

230 Torii Hunter Mini AG back - Angels +2 points Mini AG back

NP75 Alex Rodriguez - Yankees -1 point

Pack 1 Total: +5 Points

Pack 2:
59 Mark Reynolds - DBacks
165 Chase Utley - Phillies +2 Points Fav. player list

263 Brian Duensing - Twins
53 Clayton Kershaw - Dodgers +2 Points Fav. player list

19 Mike Pelfrey - Mets
308 Fausto Carmona - Indians +5 points SP

212 Mariel Zagunis Mini
NP57 Victor Martinez - Indians

Pack 2 Total: +9 Points

Pack 3:
187 Brett Myers - Phillies
71 Albert Pujols - Cardinals
137 Mark Teixeira - Yankees -1 point Yankees
285 George Kottaras - Red Sox
346 Dominique Wilkins +5 points SP

AGHS22Ken Griffey Jr. - Mariners +3 points Sketch Card

233 John Lackey Mini AG Back - Angels + 2 points AG back

NP65 Carlos Delgado - Mets

Pack 3 Total: +9 points

Pack 4:
126 Trevor Crowe - Indians
107 Bryan Berg
272 Brad Nelson - Brewers
74 Matt Tuiasosopo - Mariners
AGR-JB Jay Bruce Relic - Reds +8 points x10 favorite player = +80 points

HHB20 Cold Fusion Mini +5 points Hoaxes

NP74 Yadier Molina - Cardinals

Pack 4 Total: +85 points

Pack 5:
121 Ryan Church - Mets
113 Rafael Furcal - Dodgers
16 Josh Johnson - Marlins
160 Max Scherzer - DBacks
156 Jayson Werth - Phillies
252 Lastings Milledge - Nationals
118 Scott Olsen Mini - Nationals -1 point for Scott Olsen
NP64 Francisco Liriano - Twins

Pack 5 Total: -1 point. ouch.

Pack 6:
185 Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox
99 Chris Duncan - Cardinals
116 Charles Darwin
176 Ramiro Pena - Yankees -1 point
36 Joba Chamberlain - Yankees -1 point
302 Stephen Drew - DBacks +5 points SP

146 Rich Harden Mini - Cubs
NP67 Adrian Gonzalez - Padres +4 fav player list NP insert

AG Code Ad Card

Pack 6 Total: +7 points

Total Box 1 through topper & 6 packs: +119 points

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs is on!

2009-07-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

My boxes have arrived, and have been opened. Videos of both breaks are uploading, with point earning scans coming soon after. Beardy, if you are reading this, know that your 300 point total is in SERIOUS jeopardy. Not only by 1 box, but BOTH boxes are point earning champions as far as the hits go. :)

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs - Please deliver my boxes already!

2009-07-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

I pre-ordered a week in advance. My boxes are STILL in Illinois. WHY? Delivery scheduled for Wednesday. Gint-A-Cuffs might as well be OVER by then! *breathe* It'll be ok. Please enjoy this map to help chart my boxes epic journey to Las Vegas, and the 2009 Gint-A-Cuffs Winner's Circle™.

7/14/09 Update: Commerce City, Co. - Map updated! So clooooose now!

Box Break - 2009 Allen & Ginter Baseball Box 1 (Non Gint-A-Cuffs)

2009-07-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

I could not help myself. Our monthly Las Vegas card show was in town, and they had boxes of A&G for $75, no tax, no shipping sitting right there. I caved and bought 2. The first box, some quality hits. Second box had no box topper, no checklist, about 9 damaged cards and 3 lame hits. Win some, lose some. These are not a part of the Gint-A-Cuffs, as those are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. I'll run down the hits of both boxes now, and post the videos shortly!

Best Hit: Burke Kenny BEARD CHAMPION Mini Bazooka Back 7/25

Regular Hits:

Mike Lowell Auto

Ryan Braun Relic

Dontrelle Willis Relic

Carlos Beltran Relic

4 relics/Autos and the BEST Bazooka Mini one could hope to pull. Not sure if this box would have had tons of points, but it was still pretty sweet. :) Just like Beardy though... the next box was not so lucky.

eBay Top 5 Most Expensive 2009 Allen & Ginter Cards so far

2009-07-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

A quick list of the highest priced 2009 A & G cards on eBay that have either been purchased or have active bids.

#1 - $399.99 - Kevin Youkilis 2009 Allen & Ginter RIP CARD SP /5

#2 - $250.00 - 2009 Allen & Ginter MICKEY MANTLE Silk Cloth #1/10

#3 - $249.99 - 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter RIP Jorge Posada Yankees 7/10

#4 - $202.50 (reserve not yet met, still active) - 2009 ALLEN & GINTER / MICKEY MANTLE RIP-IT - 04 / 05

#5 - $152.50 (still active) - Evan Longoria 2009 Allen Ginter N43 Auto Jersey #1/5

Who else finds it interesting that the top 4 cards sold so far are NOT autographs. I'm sure we'll have a few go higher than these in the coming days. As it stands now, it sure is interesting to see that only 5 cards have sold for or are bid up to over $150.

Pack Break - 4x 2009 Allen & Ginter Baseball + Toploader

2009-07-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

My 2 boxes of A&G are scheduled to arrive next Wednesday. That is not soon enough in my book, so I set out to find a cheap box at my local hobby shop to fill the void. First stop, they were asking $149 a box, more than I paid for TWO boxes online. Second stop, $129 a box which is still crazy high, but he was getting ready to open a box and sell the packs at $5 each. Having a $20 in my pocket, I bought 4 and he gave me the cabinet card box topper for free.

These are obviously not part of the 2009 Gint-A-Cuffs, but I think I'm going to score them as such to get some practice in. Commissioner, if you're reading, feel free to view this as spring training for you as well, in both checking math and making rulings if need be!

Box Topper: CB - No. 10 Space Race Kennedy & Khruschev +8 points

Pack 1: +4 points total

Zack Greinke
Melvin Mora
Ryan Perry RC
Josh Outman RC
Frank Thomas AGHS9 Kong Sketch Card +3 points

Chris Davis
John Baker
Aaron Harang (Reds) - Mini regular back + 1 point

Edgar Renteria -National Pride

Pack 2: Either +9 or +3 pending ruling

Josh Hamilton +2 points

Brian Giles
David Wright +2 points

Chipper Jones +2 points

Adam Dunn
Carlos Pena
Electron Mini - Black Border either +3 or -3 points. Mini black borders are +3, but the base Electron is a -1 card. Ruling?

Albert Pujols - National Pride (not on favorite player list!)

Pack 3: +12 points or +17 points if 301-350 are actually SP's

Manny Parra
Colby Rasmus RC
LaShawn Merritt (sprinting champ)
Carl Crawford
Ryan Doumit AGR-RD Relic Card +8 points

Gary Sheffield card #319 - if 301-350 are SP, +5 points

Anna Tunnicliffe (sailing champion) Mini A&G back - +2 points

Edinson Volquez - National Pride (Reds) +2 points

Pack 4: +8 points

John Maine
Jay Bruce (Favorite Player base) +3 points

Michael Cuddyer
Derek Lowe
Charles Goodyear (Entrepreneur)
Jason Jaramillo RC
George Washington Mini NH1 National Heroes +5 points

Vladimir Guerrero - National Pride

So there you have it, a preview of how the scoring might play out. Gotta say, I like how the scoring is set up right now. Just enough points, not too many so you're scanning all 8 cards in the pack. I can't wait to do 48 more of these! Wait that's a lot...

The Most Interesting Rookie Card in the World!

2009-07-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

While browsing the Sports Card Blogroll a couple weeks back, I stumbled across this post. The pack is from the 1992 Hildebrandt Collector Cards set, and I became intrigued. Upon searching ebay for packs or boxes, I came across a complete 90-card set for only .99 cents. I purchased it, along with another set by Boris Vallejo called Boris Series II: The Fantasy Continues. Also a 90-card set, also .99 cents.

The complete sets are wonderful, but that is not what this post is about. This is about something entirely different indeed. You see my friends, I've made a shocking discovery. A rookie card that had gone unnoticed in the 1992 Hildebrandt set, until now. Let me show you the card:

Look familiar? Perhaps you know him better as:

That's right. The Most Interesting Man in the World.

2009 Allen & Ginter Wish List Vol. 1

2009-07-08T00:56:00.000-07:00

2009 Allen & Ginter is now live, and with it comes the flood of interesting and unique cards popping up on eBay from this years set. Here are a few of my favorites so far:

Bigfoot 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter's DNA Hair #10/10 WOW

BURKE KENNY 2009 Allen Ginter DNA Moustache Champion

Richard Fosbury 2009 Allen & Ginter RED INK SP AUTO /10

2009 Allen Ginter FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE Silk Cloth 05/10

2009 Allen Ginter BRYAN BERG GU Playing Card SP ~ RARE

I can only hope to find some of these treasures in my 2 boxes arriving shortly!

Video Box Break - iPhone 32g 3GS

2009-07-07T23:43:00.000-07:00

Ok so my new iPhone doesn't count as a collectible, but it did come in a box which I had to break open. Box Break. Don't judge me!

The video was shot with Paige's new iPhone 32g 3GS as well. A box break of an item filmed by the same item being opened! It's like dividing by zero. Nothing good will come of it.

Mail Day! - Daequan Cook Personal Collection

2009-07-07T11:23:00.001-07:00

Another day, another Daequan Cook card in the mail. This time his Draft Day trade partner Jason Smith has tagged along. This is a card I've seen on ebay for a while now, always with a high Buy It Now price. Topps made quite of few of these, and my patience was rewarded when I won the card for less than $5 including shipping. Welcome home, Daequan. Jason, try not to mess anything up while you're here.

2009 Gint-A-Cuffs!

2009-07-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

This is it, the big leagues. The 2009 Gint-A-Cuffs is fast approaching, and as of now we have 20 worthy competitors from all walks of life hoping to stab one another for a chance at the crown!

My player/team selection was Jay Bruce, and the Cincinnati Reds. Box is pre-ordered, everything is set. I think I'll do the pack breaks video style, posting scans of the point-earning cards along with the video break.

Should be exciting!

Mail Day! - Daequan Cook Personal Collection

2009-07-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Just one card today (well, yesterday technically) added to my Daequan Cook personal collection. Since my collection has grown to its current level, the amount of Daequan cards I can obtain that are not duplicates has shrunken dramatically. I suppose this is a good thing, for both my wallet and my postal carrier!

2007-08 UD Ultimate Rookie Signatures 34/99

This is probably one of my favorite photos of Cook. Such a cool shot!

Box Break - 2007 Futera World Football (Soccer) Box 3

2009-07-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

Final box of 2007 Futera World Football. Hoping for Thierry Henry!

Cristiano Ronaldo Futera Clear Jersey Card 125/250 BLUE jersey

Junichi Inamoto Futera Proof Jersey/Memocell card 214/275 Black FULHAM jersey

Now that was a nice box! Probably the most valuable regular jersey card in the set, along with a player from my favorite EPL team, Fulham. Another full set of base cards as well. I really enjoy this set... Both the Futera Clear and Futera Proof jersey cards sets only have 25 players in them. I'm seriously considering going for all 50, since I already have 8. We'll see what I decide later on!

Box Break - 2007 Futera World Football (Soccer) Box 2

2009-07-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

Box 2 of 2007 Futera World Football:

Shaun Wright-Phillips Futera Clear Jersey card 11/250 sky blue jersey

Julio Baptista Futera Proof Jersey/Memocell card 111/275 gray jersey

Two players I really enjoy! Another full set of the base cards as well.

Box Break - 2007 Futera World Football (Soccer) Box 1

2009-07-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

I decided to grab a few more boxes of 2007 Futera World Football since they were so inexpensive, and I loved the insert cards. The first box a few weeks back gave me a complete 200 cards set along with 2 really cool jersey cards. Let's see what we get this time around!

Box 1

Hidetoshi Nakata Futera Clear Jersey card 39/250 Short Print yellow jersey (20 made)

Nicolas Anelka Futera Proof Jersey/Memocell card 220/275 sky blue jersey

Pretty good box, made another full set of the base cards. Plus I'm a big fan of Anelka, so definitely a good pull for me!

Video Box Break - Razor Ink Archives Box 2

2009-06-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Box #2 of Razor Ink Archives featuring Paige as our guest breaker. First box was decent with the Cigarette Smoking Man and a couple Smallville cards, which I'll probably send to my brother as he's a big fan. Will we pull more Smallville autos in this box? All signs point to yes.

Video Box Break - Razor Ink Archives Box 1

2009-06-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

I've decided to try something new with my box breaks. I'll be having my friends, who have never opened trading cards before and generally have no interest in them, do the box breaks! Should be interesting to see their reactions and feedback of my new hobby. Perhaps I'll get a few of them to try some boxes of their own!

Up first is my friend Paige, who will be opening a couple boxes of the new Razor Ink Archives. I decided to start her off easy with some entertainment cards, unfortunately she still didn't recognize anyone we pulled!

Personal Collection - 2007 Legendary Americana

2009-06-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Unlike most collectors these days, I'm actually a fan of the "historical figures/moments" subsets that seem to be popping up everywhere. I've decided to pick a few of these and obtain the complete set. The first I've decided to put together is from 2007 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball. The Legendary Americana subset, in my opinion, is a gorgeous set. Each of the 100 card set is individually numbered to 550, so putting together a complete set will be a difficult, but rewarding.

As it stands now, I have 19 of the 100 card set. If you happen to have any of the cards I need for the set, please feel free to contact me about a trade!

My current collection is located here: 2007 Legendary Americana, or click on the slideshow above!

Box Break - 2007-08 UD Sweet Shot Basketball Box 3

2009-06-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

Final tin of 2007-08 Sweet Shot basketball. Anything decent here is just bonus after last pack.

Manu Ginobili base 109/350
Kobe Bryant Sweet Stitches Jersey card (purple this time)

Glen Davis Sweet Beginnings Auto RC 333/699

Josh Boone Signature Shots Auto 135/195

Ray Allen/Kevin Garnett Sweet Swatches Dual Jersey card

Another solid box. Ended up with 3 Kobe jersey cards, one Lebron, all the autos plus the Signature Kicks card. Not bad at all!

Personal Collection - Daequan Cook

2009-06-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

I got back in to card collecting earlier this year, around March. I decided then that I wanted to not only collect cards and sets that peaked my interest, but also 1 or 2 players I'm a fan of. For basketball, I chose Daequan Cook. Several factors played in to this decision, including the cost of starting a player collection in the current market. While I would love to have a LeBron James collection, after researching a bit and discovering the prices of modern high-end cards, I decided to go with a low level player I liked.

My long term goal is to collect every Daequan Cook auto card available. This does not include all variants of the same card, like SP's and 1/1's, etc. If I can get those, great. It also does not include auto'd printing plates as I'm just not that in to them. Again if I stumble upon one, I probably wouldn't pass it up... but I'm not going to actively search them out.

As it stands now, I have 61 Daequan Cook Auto cards. 40 of these are unique, as I have 21 random multiples that were gathered when buying lots, etc. Beckett online shows 202 different Daequan auto cards, but that number includes all the variants of single cards. The actual number is much less, although I'm still researching to find out exactly how many I need.

My ongoing collection can be found here: Card Cache

Needless to say, if anyone reading this blog would like to help me with this collection, I would greatly appreciate it! I'm willing to trade most cards I pull from box breaks for Daequan cards I'm needing. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated as my collection grows as well!

Box Break - 2007-08 UD Sweet Shot Basketball Box 2

2009-06-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Box 2 of 2007-08 Sweet Shot basketball:

Eddie Curry base 128/350
Lebron James Sweet Stitches Jersey card

Nick Fazekas Sweet Beginnings Auto RC 250/699 (2 boxes in a row!)

Paul Milsap Signature Kicks Auto Black Leather variant 4/10 (sweet!)

Kobe Bryant/Jordan Farmar Sweet Swatches Dual Jersey card

Wow what a great pack! My first Signature Kicks cards, and it's the SP one. Plus Lebron and Kobe jersey cards!

Mail Day!

2009-06-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

Only 2 items in the mail today. I received my first order from checkoutmycards.com, to which I'll do a full review of their services in another post. The other item I received is an addition to my Daequan Cook personal collection, a 2008-09 UD Premier Preeminence on card Auto /25. Very sharp looking card with a clear, blue ink auto.

Box Break - 2007-08 UD Sweet Shot Basketball Box 1

2009-06-10T13:18:00.000-07:00

Got a few tins of 07/08 Sweet Shot basketball, I'll break them over the next several days. Hoping for some nice autos or a Signature Kicks card.

Box/Pack/Tin 1:

Baron Davis base 346/350
Kobe Bryant Sweet Stitches Jersey card

Paul Milsap Signature Shots Auto 21/97

Nick Fazekas Sweet Beginnings Auto RC 34/699 (drafted 34th overall, it's an eBay 1/1, or something)

Arron Afflalo Sweet Beginnings Auto RC 33/699

Jason Richardson/Raymond Felton Sweet Swatches Dual Jersey card

Nice pack, got 6 cards instead of 5 with the extra being an auto. Not to mention a Kobe jersey card, always nice.

Pack Break - 3x 2008-09 UD Black Diamond Hockey

2009-06-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

Of all the various sports cards I collect, the one I have the least knowledge of is hockey. Hoping to learn a bit more... I chose 3 packs of Black Diamond hockey cards as my free gift from my most recent order via dacardworld.com. Not sure what I can pull, but lets find out!

Pack 1:

Andrei Markov
Martin Biron - 2 Diamond

Wade Redden
Tim Thomas
Patrick Marleau

First impressions... I really like the look of the cards. Doesn't seem to bother me much that I have no idea who those players are. I figured out that the 2 diamond thing is a parallel, assuming it goes 3 and 4 as well.

Pack 2:

Marco Sturm
Marty Turco - 2 Diamond

Bill Guerin
Andy McDonald
Darcy Tucker

Pack 3:

Michael Nylander
Justin Williams
Zdeno Chara
Paul Stastny - 3 Diamond

Josh Harding

There you have it. I've heard of about 3 of those players. I really need to watch more hockey. Let me check the schedule to see when the season starts.. aww crap it's over. Always next year!

Let me know if you want any of these to add to your hockey collection.

Box Break - 2007 Futera World Football (Soccer)

2009-06-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is the other item I got yesterday, a 2007 Futera World Football box. 24 packs, 9 cards per pack. I'm a huge soccer fan, and these are some pretty nice cards. Much better than Upper Deck MLS for quality of players. Usually 2 hits per box, autos are about 1 in 144 packs, so a little harder to get.

Let's see what we got!

Got a Beckham 2nd pack, very nice. That's what the base cards look like for those who have not seen this set before.

First hit, Djibril Cisse Futera Clear Jersey Card 204/250

Sweet card, it's actually a very thin clear plastic, with the jersey swatch attached on the rear, showing through a cut out on front. Hand numbered on the back as well, surely not by Cisse. Looks like the same handwriting as the individually numbered boxes, mine being 3076/6900.

Thierry Henry, my 2nd favorite player behind only this guy:

Alessandro Del Piero!

Next hit, it's awesome...

Fernando Torres Futera Proof Memocell Jersey Card 119/275. This was actually in a penny sleeve, in the pack. Very nice looking card in person, full gold on both sides.

That's it... no auto in this box, but 2 very nice hits! Great collation also, made a full set of all 200 cards with only 11 doubles from one box. UD and Topps take note!

Mail Day!

2009-06-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

Got 2 items today. One is a box which I'll post later this evening, and then this:

That's right. NPH /100. Neil. Patrick. Harris. Straight in to the personal collection.

Box Break - Retail Basketball Blaster 8 Pack

2009-06-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

Noticed this at my local Walmart today, decided to pick it up. The outside says "Championship Collection Trading Cards", and show 4 random packs through clear windows on the box. 4 additional mystery packs are contained within. I picked a box showing...

08-09 Topps; 08-09 UD; 07-08 Fleer Ultra and 08-09 Hot Prospects

Inside we have...

98-99 UD Collectors Choice; 94-95 Fleer Ultra; 97-98 UD Collectors Choice; 90-91 NBA Hoops and 2008 Press Pass, clear pack 2 cards only, OJ Mayo and Jerryd Bayless

Let's see if these cheap retail blasters are worth anything! (I'm guessing no!)

90-91 NBA Hoops (highlights)

Reggie Theus - Sweet 'Stache parallel

Rockets Checklist w/ "Akeem" Olajuwon artwork

Karl Malone - Lights, Camera, NBA Action (yes!)

That Malone really saved the pack. What a sweet card, Karl on a horse! Thank god there weren't any memorabilia versions produced back then, with authentic horse-hide swatches.

97-98 Collector's Choice (highlights)

Shaq!

Michael Jordan - Catch 23

Gary Payton - Star Attractions Die Cut

The Payton is a pretty nice looking card in person, forgot those were in this set.

94-95 Fleer Ultra

None. Seriously, horrible pack. Nothing worth scanning.

98-99 Collector's Choice (highlights)

Vlade Divac - Star Quest

Kobe Bryant - Memorable Moments Die Cut

That Kobe card is nice. Scan came out looking crazy though... the rainbow affect is actually just gold foil.

08-09 Hot Prospects

Gilbert Arenas
Greg Oden
Vlade Divac - Cream of the Crop

Paul Pierce

Turning in to a Vlade insert Hot Box!

08-09 Topps

Lou Williams
Al Thornton
Ron Artest
Ben Wallace
Nick Young
John Salmons - Gold Parallel
Mike Conley
T.J. Ford

08-09 Upper Deck

Baron Davis
LeBron James

Mike Conley
Shawn Marion
Michael Redd
Brandon Roy
Greg Oden - Star Quest silver common

07-08 Fleer Ultra

Gary Payton
Shane Battier
Larry Bird - Legendary 13 Gold Medallion (top right corner slightly bent)

Al Jefferson
Ruben Patterson

Nice pull on that Larry Bird, shame it is very slightly damaged though. Books at $20, so not bad.

Final thoughts... spend your money elsewhere. The inner mystery packs are always junk, unless you want to take a stroll down memory lane and open some old packs. If you're interested in any of the cards, let me know!

Box Break - 2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic Baseball Blasters

2009-06-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Kmart had a ton of cards 50% off in the toy section this morning, so I decided to grab a few I haven't had before. UD SP Authentic baseball is a product I have no experience with, so we'll see what comes of it. Grabbed 2 Blasters, so let's jump in!

The box states we have 7 normal packs and 1 bonus pack of 5 Rookie Exclusive cards. Let's see the rookies first:

Rookie Pack:

Mike Parisi
Matt Tupman
Kevin Hart
Luke Carlin
Jay Bruce

Jay Bruce is such a great player, one of my favorites. Good start.

Pack 1:

Ian Kinsler (does Ian always close his eyes when he swings?)

Yankee Stadium Legacy - Elston Howard game 3222
Travis Hafner
Alex Rodriguez
Johan Santana

Pack 2:

Troy Tulowitzki
Alfonso Soriano
Hunter Pence
Johan Santana - Authentic Achievements

Justin Upton

Pack 3:

Phil Hughes
Carlos Pena
Hideki Matsui
Roy Oswalt
Curtis Granderson

Pack 4:

Magglio Ordonez
John Lackey
Felix Hernandez
Manny Ramirez/Fransisco Rodriguez Marquee Matchups

Michael Young

Pack 5:

Delmon Young
Yankee Stadium Legacy Bobby Richardson Game 3197
Brandon Phillips
Justin Morneau
Jeff Francoeur

Pack 6:

Lance Berkman
Carlos Beltran
Curt Schilling
Miguel Cabrera - Authentic Achievements
J.J. Hardy

Pack 7:

Joe Mauer (dup)
Paul Konerko
Randy Johnson
Dontrelle Willis
Jose Guillen

Not a bad blaster. No great hits, but a ton of solid players and only one double. Now box 2!

Rookie Pack:

Ian Kennedy
Jesse Carlson
Burke Badenhop
Johnny Cueto
Jonathan Herrera

Cueto, another solid Red. Very nice

Pack 1:

Khalil Greene
Dan Uggla
Curt Schilling
J.J. Hardy
Randy Johnson

Pack 2:

Joe Blanton
Ryan Zimmerman
Alex Gordon
Pedro Martinez - Authentic Achievements
Jeff Francoeur

Pack 3:

Alex Rios
Yankee Stadium Legacy Paul O'Neill Game 6107
Michael Young
Brandon Phillips
Justin Morneau

Pack 4:

Joe Mauer
Paul Konerko
Hideki Matsui
Roy Oswalt
Curtis Granderson

All doubles from the first blaster in that pack.

Pack 5:

Hanley Ramirez
David Ortiz
Tori Hunter
Feliz Hernandez
Carlos Zambrano/Carlos Lee - Marquee Matchups

Pack 6:

Lance Berkman
Carlos Beltran
Johan Santana
Tom Glavine - Authentic Achievements
Justin Upton

Pask 7:

Carl Crawford
Nick Swisher
Pedro Martinez/Alex Rodriguez - Marquee Matchups

Dontrelle Willis
Jose Guillen

Not the greatest 2 blasters, but for 1/2 price, I'll take it. The card design is pretty cool, although I do enjoy a little background in my base cards. Worth the $5 a blaster? You decide.

Box Break - 2008 Upper Deck X Baseball Blaster

2009-06-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Another Kmart 50% off find. 10 packs per box promising 1 Memorabilia Card per box, on average of course. Let's open it and find out!

Pack 1:

Albert Pujols

Chipper Jones
Michael Young
Vladimir Guerrero - Die Cut
David Ortiz
Hanley Ramirez - Xponential 3

Die cut cards and shiny inserts, both pluses. Base cards are a little busy, but overall a pretty nice design.

Pack 2:

Jeremy Hermida
Carlos Beltran
Randy Johnson
Nick Markakis - Die Cut
Ivan Rodriguez - Xponential

B.J. Upton

Pack 3:

Geovany Soto
Trevor Hoffman
Mark Teixeira
Edinson Volquez - Die Cut

Adam Dunn - Xponential
Robinson Cano

Nice Reds pack, if only Dunn still played for my beloved Reds.

Pack 4:

Conor Jackson
Matt Holliday
Evan Longoria RC - Die Cut

Jim Thome - Xponential
Lance Berkman - Die Cut gold parallel

Aaron Rowand

Great pack! 2 die cuts, one being a Longoria rookie, the other a gold parallel, plus the insert.

Pack 5:

Clay Buckholz RC
Tim Lincecum
Johan Santana
Howie Kendrick
Carlos Pena - Xponential 2
Paul Konerko - Die Cut

Pack 6:

Alex Rios
Jonathan Papelbon
Erik Bedard
Grady Sizemore - Xponential 2
Frank Thomas - Die Cut

Dan Heran

I don't collect Frank, but that's one nice looking card with the bright colors and die cut.

Pack 7:

Magglio Ordonez
Yankee Stadium Legacy Lou Piniella Game 4432
Ken Griffey Jr.
Nick Swisher - Xponential
Troy Tulowitzki - Die Cut
Jake Peavy

Pack 8:

Derek Jeter
Chase Utley
Travis Hafner
Ryan Zimmerman - Xponential
Ian Kennedy RC - Die Cut
Jimmy Rollins

Pack 9:

Garrett Atkins
Carlos Zambrano - Die Cut
Scott Posednik - Memorabilia Jersey Card

That Posednik is interesting. Rockies colors and name on card, wearing White Sox uniform, and the jersey piece clearly contains a pinstripe from the Chicago uniform.

Pack 10:

Carlos Lee
Matt Kemp - Die Cut Gold Parallel
Ryan Howard - Xponential 4

Adrian Gonzalez - Die Cut
Ichiro
Zack Greinke

What a great pack to end on! That Ryan Howard card is awesome, along with 2 die cuts, Greinke and Ichiro.

Overall, I really like this set. I wish the Kmart I visited had more of these, they were a steal at 1/2 price. Let me know if you'd like any of those cards for your sets or PC!

Mail Day!

2009-06-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

I didn't get a chance to post this from yesterday, so here is the 1 card I received in the mail on Saturday:

Daequan Cook 2007-08 Bowman Sterling Jersey Auto 19/113

I'll dedicate a longer post to this later, but my main personal collection is of Daequan Cook. You'll get to see all of my collection at some point, I'm sure. Feel free to keep me in mind for any Daequan jersey or auto cards you happen to pull; I'd greatly appreciate it!

Box Break - 2009 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts Baseball

2009-06-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Finally got around to opening the box of Legendary Cuts. I like the overall look of the cards. I am trying to put together the Legendary Americana /550 set from the 2007 series, so I was interested in seeing what this years /550 cards looked like. I haven't decided if I'm going to go for this set however. Perhaps I should finish 2007 first!

Here are the highlights:

Cal Ripken Jr./Troy Tulowitzki - Generations Memorabilia Dual Jersey

Jim Rice - Legendary Memorabilia Jersey 73/100

Joe Mauer - Destination Stardom Memorabilia Jersey

Roy Halladay - Destined For History Memorabilia Jersey

Grover Cleveland 250/550

20th Anniversary Retrospective cards: 1303 Tony Gwynn, 1318 Yogi Berra, 1313 Johnny Bench, 1308 Bob Gibson, 1323 Mike Schmidt, Cal Ripken Jr., 1328 Brooks Robinson

Notable Base Cards: Josh Hamilton, Tim Lincecum, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Nick Markakis, Ryan Braun, Paul Molitor, Manny Ramirez, Randy Johnson, Joba Chamberlain, Evan Longoria, Ichiro

Really nice looking cards in this set. However, for the price of these boxes I'm not seeing the value quite yet. Perhaps once the price comes down a bit, I'll revisit this set.

Box Break - 2008-09 UD SPX Basketball

2009-06-07T00:09:00.000-07:00

Just broke the box of SPX basketball, and it was somewhat disappointing. I'll post the results below instead of doing a pack by pack breakdown.

Auto Hits:

Patrick Ewing Jr. 230/599 Away

Joe Alexander 167/599 Home

Anthony Randolph 38/599 Home

Winning Materials Jersey Hits:

Carmelo Anthony
Jason Kidd

Freshman Orientation Jersey Hits:

Ryan Anderson
Brandon Rush x2

Winning Materials Combo Jersey Hits:

Andrea Bargnani/Chris Bosh - Raptors
Kevin Martin/Quincy Douby - Kings

Base cards were: Tony Parker, Jamario Moon, Kobe Bryant, Jason Richardson, Carmelo Anthony, Luol Deng, Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Durant, Yao Ming, Al Horford, Jason Kidd, Andrew Bogut, Corey Brewer, Dirk Nowitzki, Rudy Gay, T.J. Ford and Elton Brand.

As you can see, not a great box. As always, let me know if you need any of the base/jersey cards for your PC or a set collection.

Box Break - 2009 Donruss Americana 2 boxes

2009-06-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas had a local card show at a mall across town, decided to check it out. It happens once a month there, some decent prices, and no tax, so that's always a plus when buying high end. Ended up getting a bunch of supplies and 4 boxes total, 2 Americana which I'll share with you now as I break them! The other 2 were 2008-09 SPX basketball and 2009 Legendary Cuts Baseball.. I'll break those in a bit.

First off, the packaging on these are very cool. The cd-style boxing is nice, and seems to protect the packs as well.

I'm hoping for a Patrick Stewart auto for personal reasons, or David Carradine auto since the prices on eBay are going crazy this weekend.

Pack 1:

Lorna Luft
Pat O'brien - Hollywood Legends 878/1000
William Holden - Hollywood Legends Materials 242/250

Emily Procter (Hot!)
Randall Kleiser (not as hot)

Decent first pack, 2 serial #'s cards, one a Material.

Pack 2:

Annette Charles
Spencer Tracy/Katherine Hepburn Movie Poster Adam's Rib Dual Materials 97/500

David Carradine (base, darn!)
Eddie Deezen - Proof 69/100
Micky Dolenz

Pack 3:

Ami Dolenz
Marc McClure
Patrick Stewart - Cinema Stars 632/1000 (no auto, but I'll take it!)

Burt Lancaster - Hollywood Legends Silver Screen Materials 24/100

Jordan Ladd

Not bad, still no auto yet though, getting a little worried!

Pack 4:

Malcolm McDowell
Patty Duke - TV Stars 282/1000
Sofia Milos - Auto Materials 5/100

George A. Romero
Erin Moran

So that was box 1, I'd say it was pretty average. 1 auto, sevral #'d cards including Patrick Stewart. On to box 2!

Pack 1:

Marton Csokas
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Jill-Michele Melean TV Stars 230/1000
James Duval
Casting Calls Cut Auto! Ernest Thomas/Haywood Nelson/Danielle Spencer 30/30 Nice!

I think that is a case hit. Only 5 different Casting Call cut autos were made, 30 of each I believe. Pretty cool, anything else is just bonus now.

Pack 2:

Corbin Bleu
Dylan McDermott
Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Hollywood Legends 783/1000
Barry Pearl Auto Private Signings 25/50

Albert Brooks

Another great pack, Auto #'d to 50.

Pack 3:

Eric Roberts
Anson Williams - Proof 87/100
Charlie Chaplin - Movie Posters Materials Modern Times 175/500

Jon Provost
Elena Verdugo

Pack 4:

Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Ralph Macchio - Cinema Stars 697/1000
Anthony Quinn - Hollywood Legends Materials 88/500

Debi Mazar
Edd Byrnes

That's it! That 2nd box was really good, getting a cut auto is always nice. Hope you enjoyed and let me know if you're interested in any of the cards!

Box Break - 2008 UD Sweet Spot Baseball

2009-06-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

I picked up a retail box of 2008 Upper Deck Sweet Spot baseball this weekend at my local Target. I'm not usually a retail box kind of guy, but I decided to take a shot at it! These retail boxes are set up a little different, coming in a collector tin with 3 packs of 8 cards each, one hit per tin on average. Let see if I can get anything good.

Pack 1:

Nick Swisher
Brian McCann
Greg Maddux
CC Sabathia (Brewers jersey)
Ichiro!

Carlos Beltran
Michael Young
B.J. Upton
Reggie Jackson Yankee Stadium Legacy Game #4460

A decent pack. I'll take an Ichiro anytime. The design is pretty subtle, with the slight embossed stitching feel on the sides.

Pack 2 (thick!):

Troy Tulowitzki
Alex Rodriguez
Derek Jeter
Derek Dietrich Sweet Spot Signatures 17/37 USA Team Red/Blue Stitching!

Josh Beckett
Ryan Braun
Chris Young
Paul Konerko
Lou Gehrig Yankee Stadium Legacy Game #987

Pretty sweet hit! Not sure who the guy is, but that's a nice looking card!

Pack 3:

Hideki Matsui
Mark Teixeira
Andruw Jones
Victor Martinez
Felix Hernandez
Aaron Rowand
Justin Verlander
Scott Rolen
Lou Piniella Yankee Stadium Legacy Game #4435

Overall I'd say that was a very nice box for retail. Not a fan of all the Yankees I pulled though! 9 total in 3 packs, insane. If you see anything you need for your personal collection, including the Legacy cards, just let me know and I'll send them your way!

Welcome to Card Cache!

2009-06-06T14:49:00.000-07:00

My name is Ryan and I'm a card collector living in Las Vegas. It sounds funny saying that. Honestly I haven't collected cards since I was 10, around 1990.

Like many of you, I lost interest in collecting shortly thereafter. In spring of '09 I rediscovered the market, and was pleasantly surprised with what I found!

I hope to share my experiences with my re-entry in to collecting, along with reviews, scans, videos and much more! I look forward to everyone's comments, critiques and advice along the way.

I also plan on giving many cards away. While I do consider myself a collector, I would much rather help others acquire cards of the players they collect, than horde 1000's of cards I'll never be interested in. In any of my box/pack breaks, whether live, video or scanned, feel free to request a card for your collection! Most of the time I'll be happy to send it right out to you!

Thanks and welcome,

Ryan