A Fairfield Repack 250 Card Cube

A while back I had gotten a couple of Fairfield repacks in the form of 250 card cubes (Baseball) w/ two bonus two packs from Target. I opened one of them on Thursday night 12 December 2013.

The bulk of the 250 cards were typical Here is the count by year/set: (minus some cards selected as features below)

1981 Donruss 1
1982 Topps 1
1983 Donruss 1
1984 Topps 2
1985 Donruss 1
1987 Fleer 3
1987 Topps 4
1987 Topps Traded 1
1988 Donruss 5
1988 Fleer 3
1988 Score 11
1988 Topps 1
1989 Bazooka 1
1989 Donruss 11
1989 Fleer 1
1989 Score 7
1989 Topps 1988 Glossy All-Stars 3
1989 Topps 1988 Rookies 1
1989 Topps 30
1989 Topps Traded 1
1989 Upper Deck 2
1990 Bowman 14
1990 Fleer 1
1990 KMart Super Stars 3
1990 ProCards Minor League 1
1990 Score 8
1990 Sportflics 2
1990 Topps 2
1990 Topps Traded 1
1990 Upper Deck 1
1991 Bowman 1
1991 Donruss 7
1991 Leaf 1
1991 Score 4
1991 Leaf Studio 1
1991 Topps 1990 Glossy All-Stars 5
1991 Topps 1
1991 Upper Deck 18 (includes 2 dupes)
1992 Donruss 12
1992 Fleer 2
1992 Topps (gold variation?) 1
1992 Upper Deck 2
1993 Donruss 2
1993 Score Pinnacle 2
1994 Donruss 1
1994 Fleer 1
 1994 Score
1994 Score Select 2
1994 Upper Deck 1
1995 Donruss 1
1995 Fleer 1
1995 Fleer Ultra 1
1995 Topps 1
1996 Fleer Metal 1
1996 Topps 1
1997 Donruss 1
1997 Upper Deck Collectors Choice 1
1997 Fleer Metal 1
1998 Bowman 1
1998 Upper Deck 1
1999 Upper Deck MVP 1
2000 Pacific Crown Collection 1
2000 Topps Opening Day 1
2001 Pacific 1
2002 Topps 1
2004 Upper Deck 2
2005 Topps Total 1
2006 Upper Deck Sweet Spot 1
2006 Topps Heritage 1
2006 Upper Deck National Baseball Card Day 1
2007 Fleer 1
2007 Tristar Pro Debut (Minor League) 2
2007 Topps 1
2010 Topps 22
2011 Topps  (Yankees Team Set) 1
2012 Topps 1
2012 Topps Update 1

The Features: 
A trio of 1981 Topps cards (I like that year from my youth and it can almost be considered vintage now eek):

72 Barry Evens Padres
91 Tim Stoddard Orioles
237 Charlie Moore Brewers

A few stars:

1992 Fleer: 471 Darryl Strawberry Dodgers
1984 Topps: 573 Dave Kingman Mets (I prefer when he was a Cub)

An Old-Timer:

1991 Conlon Collection: 60 George Kelly NY Giants

Some Nats or Ex-Nationals:

1995 Donruss: 410 Pat Listash Brewers (Was Nats 3rd Base Coach in 2009)

1996 Donruss: 28 Pat Listash Brewers

2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic: 80 Rick Ankiel Cardinals

2006 Topps: National Baseball Card Day: T3 Ryan Zimmerman RC Nationals (I already have like 3 or 4 of these I think)

And the two oldest Vintage cards in the box:

1976 Topps:
470 Bobby Murcer Giants
644 Tom Bradley Giants

Now the two bonus packs, which was one of the main reasons to get the box in the first place.

The first pack:

2011 Topps Chrome:

73 James Shields Rays
82 Franklin Gutierrez Mariners
186 Domonic Brown Phillies

 C124 - 1962 Style Stephen Strasburg Nationals #d 303/1962

I got the whole thing mostly for the second pack:

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces:

 115 Roberto Clemente Pirates

Captured on Canvas (blue framed) CC-JR Jose Reyes Mets 4 color (yes 4 gray/orange/blue/red) #d 12/25

Sorry about the hair on the scan. I didn't think the scanner bed needed a shave.

The Nats cards I will show in more detail over at my Curly W Cards Blog sometime.

Trading Zone Secret Santa

One of the trading card forums I frequent TCZ (Trading Card Zone) had a Secret Santa round of trading for the Winter Holidays. The Santa doesn't have to identify themselves, and usually don't but depending on the group it can be figured out, or they eventually identify themselves if pressured, or the recipient is flipping out over not knowing. I know who my Santa was. For this year I only got two cards but they are beauts. It doesn't really matter how many cards you get, or even the monetary value of the cards, the important thing is that based on your wants and likes that you provided the coordinator, your Santa did their best to try and find something you might enjoy.

Here is what I got:

on the Left: 2003 Upper Deck SPX Combos C-RR Cal Ripken Jr. Orioles and Scott Rolen Cardinals #d 86/90
and on the Right:  2012 Panini Leaf Limited Limited Greats Autograph 29 Frank Howard Senators Auto on-sticker Blue sharpie #d 195/299 (I had gotten and blogged about #007 for myself from Ebay on my Cury W Cards blog)

Here are the backs:

As for what I had sent. My "good little Collector" he is an Andrew Luck Super Collector so I sent him a bunch of mostly Luck cards with 2 or 3 other guys. He really enjoyed what I sent, he had some of them but not all of them. Just as I had one of these cards, but not the other.

Organizing Some Random Thoughts

A while back now, in reading a post about organization from a fellow card blogger Mike (member of TCC and a Facebook Pal) on his card blog, he also has a comics/toy collecting blog which was his original catch-all blog, I was reminded of an organizing rant post I did in November of last year (2012). His dilemma is frighteningly similar to mine. Years and years of having cards in boxes (or elsewhere) not organized or semi-organized and needing to be put in binders or displayed in someway. Apparently we are not alone in being overwhelmed by a hoard of cards. Colby over at Cardboard Collections  sometimes feels defeated. Oh and for those who didn't know Greg The Night Owl is NOT a pack rat (but he might play one on TV) here is his proof.  I'm not either, but I don't have any proof to disprove it yet. I'm lazy and organizationally challenged. Ironically when I was a kid I was a neat freak, I think public school corrupted me. So being disorganized can sometimes be a common enough feeling.

In my previous post (mentioned in the paragraph above) the first part was another kind of rant when I was in a bit of a funk about the hobby and wondering "Why?" then I settled down some and talked about an idea I have had for a while, but is not very practical. 

The idea was this: Have a service company that will sort and organize your cards for you. The basic premise is for collectors to send their collection, or the unorganized part of their collection they want/need organized with instructions on how they want it organized (by brand/by year/by team or whatever). The service then sorts the cards and puts them in boxes or binders based on the instructions, and service level purchased. It would probably make extra money selling the supplies or at least the binders, or heck supplies cost could be figured into the processing/organizing fee.

This would not be a grading/authorizing/verification/slabbing service there are plenty of those kinds of services. I haven't thought all the details out on if graded cards would or could be entered into the mix, probably not.

An obvious problem would be the cost of shipping cards in those volumes. More so on the company sending out the neatly organized collection in spiffy new binders (or boxes). Keeping a huge inventory of all the needed supplies would initially be a pain: Having a large inventory of the right kind of binder, the binder pages, penny sleeves toploaders, card boxes.

Then there is the space needed while organizing. A nice clear table large enough to hold a bunch of cards and some assorted supplies. There might have to be some sort of limit to the number of cards sent to be organized at a time "x" number of 5000 card monster boxes worth.

For right now I need to actually start doing all the sorting, organizing and proper storing of my own card hoard first. I have a problem of knocking down card piles and having to restack them and in the process their original "order that they came in" gets totally messed up. Someone else blogged about knocking over leaning pile towers of cards some months back sorry I forget who it was. Messy unorganized apartments don't help either.

hmm. I stumbled upon this link: "How to Organize Your Trading Cards" It is a "Simple" guide to organizing your cards too simple. Sadly it is way too simple and looks to be geared toward beginning collectors not seasoned collectors that are re-organizing for the zillionth time. There are other "similar" links including this one: "How to Organize Baseball Cards". Again not really for seasoned collectors ((Sigh!))

Another problem I have that contributes to my collection not being totally organized is my backlog of neat and fascinating cards and oddball sets that I have waiting in the wings to be blogged about. I have one set that I started a post about. I don't remember when I first wrote it up. I have updated it several times, and I still need to get the cards scanned. I had to add the set to zistle since it was such an oddball set.

Related Links:
How to Store and Organize Trading Cards
5 Easy Steps to an Organized Sports Card Collection *


*This seems to be the best advice I've seen yet. I already do some of what is mentioned in the article.

**Sorry for the blurry pics they were quick and dirty shots taken with my webcam handheld.

Washington Wednesday: Joe Rutgens

1964 Philadelphia Gum Joe Rutgens Redskins

This is just a quick one of these. As usual it has been a long time since I've done one of these. I am lazy on a great many things as you might have noticed. I got this card from Sportlots on 04 March this year (2013) didn't mark the price. Got a 1965 Philadelphia card with it (98 Rams Play of The Year). Not sure if it was from one dealer or two, looks like it might have been one. Sometimes I list all the specifics sometimes I don't. Anyway since I don't have many details just look at the card:

1964 Philadelphia Gum 192 Joe Rutgens Redskins

(Front and Back)

Note the cartoon on the back has a question about what Joe does in the "off-season".  Well kids back before the late 1970s and Free Agency sports athletes didn't make the Millions upon Millions they make today. The stars of yesteryear had to have a "second" job during the off season to pay the bills.

Why The Ridiculously High Price?

OK this post is primarily just a huge rant. It is mostly about the ridiculously high prices for individual cards that folks ask for on Ebay and elsewhere because some boneheaded collector or the silly folks at Beckett have said the card is worth that skyhigh price.

A case in point this "Lost In Space" The Movie autograph card made by Inkworks in 1998 of Lacey Chabert who played Penny Robinson, the teenaged "cute" younger sister played by Angela Cartwright in the original 1965 television show.

1998 Inkworks Lost in Space Autograph Card

A-2 Lacey Chabert as Penny Robinson black on-card sharpie

(Front and back)

 

Images from blog: retiredcomicguy.blogspot.com

 

For at least a year or two, possibly longer, I have been watching various copies of this card on Ebay. It isn't often listed as an auction, but usually as a fixed price item for sale. When it does it does come up for auction this card usually starts at OVER $100. At the time of this rant there are 3 Fixed priced listings currently at $108.39 + $10 shipping (in Australia using the Aussie Dollar Mate), one at $130 (or best offer, whoopie they probably won't take anything under $100) with $6.95 shipping in Columbia, Maryland bet they send it in a PWE and the third at $125 w/ Free Shipping from Phoenix, Arizona. That is plain RIDICULOUS with a CAPITAL "R".

Any collectors who know me know that I try to get the lowest price as possible for any of the cards on my want and wish lists. OK I am really really cheap. My standard maximum price I am willing to pay for an individual card, especially newer cards, is just about 40 bucks. Obviously for some vintage cards of huge stars I'll have to go a little higher, but NOT over $100. At least not until I am a confirmed millionaire and can afford to buy any card new or vintage for over $100.

The other two autograph cards A-1 Mom Maureen Robinson (Mimi Rogers) and A-3 little brother Will Robinson (Jack Johnson) from this set sometimes start at $50 or more, but can be found closer to my comfort zone of $20-$30 ($30 is my near-maximum price). So far I think $35 is the most I have EVER Paid for a single card.

For my Non-Sport collecting wants/needs I currently need ALL THREE of these cards. I am watching all 3 now, but haven't pulled the trigger on them yet. As I said the Lacey Chabert one I will NOT pay those ridiculous prices for.

Related blog post article: 1998 Autographed A-2 Lacey Chabert Lost in Space Movie Trading Card by Inkworks