Fishing For Nick Johnson On The Bay Red Edition

OK so the title of this post almost blows the sensationalism out of this post. Lately when I've been shopping on Ebay I just get the BINs and the fixed price listings, not the auctions. This beauty of a card and one of the pieces to a Rainbow was only $4.99 + $2.50 shipping. It is the latest variation in the 2010 Topps Baseball Nick Johnson Rainbow I've been assembling.

2010 Topps Baseball Factory Set Red 181 Nick Johnson Marlins #d 214/299

(Front and Back)

 This is the Factory Set Red Parallel version that is serial numbered to 299. But that wasn't all the seller I got this card from also included some bonus FOOTBALL cards. Now fortunately I don't mind too much when dealers sweeten the pot by including bonus cards from a different sport, but I'm sure there are some buyers who get really ticked about this. Sellers Please at least include the same sport, some folks are just one sport collectors. A few years back I would have been really ticked if I had gotten some basketball bonus cards. I'm still not huge into basketball but back a few years ago I didn't want to have anything to do with any hoops cards. Oh back on track here is what I got I won't go into detail on them as only one of them will remain part of my PC. I have them all marked in my Zistle since I was toying with the idea of building the set but I'm not sure on that. 

Anyway here are the seven 1993 Topps Football cards that were included as a bonus:

34 Tom Carter Draft Pick Redskins (PC)
35 Jeff George Colts (Might keep this one, not sure)
36 Larry Centers Cardinals
37 Reggie Cobb Buccaneers
41 Haywood Jeffires Oilers
42 Alfred Williams Bengals
43 Aaron Wallace Raiders 

 1993 Topps Football Bonus Cards:

(Front and Back)

Four Cards For Less Than Four Bucks Fishing On Bay

This post is going to be one of those that I will duplicate on my Curly W Cards blog because it is has some Nationals. The post over there will be slightly different so it will not be a true cut and paste or just plain link up deal.

OK so from Ebay I had bought some cards from one seller each card at 99¢ with Free Shipping. Four cards total two of which are Nationals players in a Nats Uniform.

Lets just get on with the cards I will make some comments about them after showing them.

2000 Fleer Skybox 1 Cal Ripken Jr. Orioles

(Front and Back)

Hows that for planing the first card being shown is card number 1. OK so I didn't plan it that way, I planned it going in chronological order and of these four cards I'm showing This Ripken from 2000 lands first.

2005 Donruss Zenith 162 Nick Johnson Nationals

(Front and Back)

When I saw this card I just had to have it. I don't recall coming across the Zenith brand from Donruss before, maybe I did but this Nick Johnson card is the only Zenith card I have. I plan on getting at least all the Nationals and Orioles from the set, and eventually the entire set of 250 cards. I like the simple yet complex design. It seems that the Zenith brand was only produced in 2005.

These next two cards and the final half of the four are from the same set 2008 Topps Allen & Ginter's. Yes most people just say Allen and Ginter or simply abbreviate to A&G but as long as Topps includes the apostrophe es I will label it that way (or just A&G or A and G)
 

 

2008 Topps Allen & Ginter's 212 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 19th Century Composer

(Front and Back)

This is one of those cards from A&G that either makes you love the sets or hate them. The Non-Sport and more to the point Non-Baseball card. The A&G brand is primarily a baseball set but technically is an All-Sport all inclusive set since it has the Non-Sport as well. I personally like the Non-Baseball cards as well as the Baseball.

2008 Topps Allen & Ginter's 271 Paul Lo Duca Nationals

(Front and Back)

Paul Lo Duca is one of those players that only spent one season, actually only part of a season, with my beloved Nationals but he quickly became a favorite. 

I was going to post my CWC post simultaneously with this one but I will now wait till this one is published so I can link to it.

Mailday Monday 16 April 2012

Playing Mailday Catch-Up! FINAL Post for today. No Scans yet. This time too much stuff at one time. ACK.

ON Monday 16 April 2012 I got 1 Ebay card and a package that contained my haul from the TCC March Baseball Boxbreakers Group break.

My card from Ebay was a 2010-11 Upper Deck Victory Hockey 242 Nick Johnson RC Penguins RED Parallel (SP) I got it for $4.99 + $2.00 shipping. I already have the regular version and I have a Gold parallel version incoming.

Now onto the Group Break from Abel's (5toosweet) Baseball Boxbusters March Group Break (which was actually busted in early April). I had the Nationals, Orioles (my two regular teams) and then picked up the Rockies and Blue Jays to help fill the break. The product busted was: 2011 Triple Threads
2010 Bowman Platinum
2011 Allen & Ginter
2011 Topps Tier 1
2012 Topps Heritage (15 packs)

2011 Allen & Ginter
BASE:
1 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
4 Jhoulys Chacin Rockies
64 Ricky Romero Blue Jays
73 Brandon Morrow Blue Jays
78 Luke Scott Orioles
97 Zach Britton RC Orioles
105 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
123 Rajai Davis Blue Jays
150 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies (cool landscaped sliding into home image)
167 Adam LaRoche Nationals
186 Yunel Escobar Blue Jays
189 Dexter Fowler Rockies
193 Jorge De La Rosa Rockies
228 Brandon Snyder RC Orioles
234 Chrissie Wellington - Champion Triathlete and Iron Man (Woman) World Record Holder
239 Brett Myers Astros (must have been unclaimed team)
278 Travis Snider Blue Jays
Ascent Of Man:
AOM 12 Reptiles (Hylonmus) looks like a gecko is shown
AOM 23 Homo Erectus
Baseball Highlight Sketches: BHS-18 Stephen Strasburg Nationals - Dazzling Debut
Code Symbol Card: NNO four "leaf clover" design front, 3 column PI sign on back
Hometown Heroes HH57 Jordan Zimmermann Nationals
Minds That Made The Future: MMF34 Archimedes
MINIs:
Base:
314 Nick Markakis Orioles
317 Brian Matusz Orioles
A&G Back: 281 Adam Lind Blue Jays
Black Border: 6 Micky Ward - Champion Boxer & Subject of The Fighter
Animals In Peril: AP19 Tasmanian Devil
World's Most Mysterious Figures: WMF10 Captain Charles Johnson

2012 Topps Heritage:
4 AL Home Run Leaders - Top 6 players Bautista, Granderson, Teixeira (#3 but looks like #1 on front w/his floating head center) Reynolds, Beltre and Kinsler
66 Sergio Santos Blue Jays
69 Michael Morse Nationals BEAST
77 J.B. Shuck Astros
88 J.J. Hardy Orioles
108 Vladimir Guerrero Orioles
118 A.J. Pierzynski White Sox (always the unclaimed team)
135 - 2012 Rookie Stars Chris Parmelee Twins, Steve Lombardozzi Nationals, Pedro Florimon Jr. Twins, Jordan Pacheco Rockies
171 Jordan Zimmerman Nationals
217 Dexter Fowler Rockies
243 Jordan Pacheco RC Rockies
291 Stephen Strasburg Nationals
326 Ramon Hernandez Rockies
332 Jorge De La Rosa Rockies
351 Danny Espinosa Nationals 2011 AS-Rookie Cup
389 Drew Pomeranz RC Rockies
402 Davey Johnson MGR Nationals
471 Yunel Escobar Blue Jays
494 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
HP65 Gio Gonzalez Nationals Chrome Parallel #d0546/1963

2010 Bowman Platinum
1 Stephen Strasburg RC Nationals
19 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
26 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies
31 Brian Matusz RC Orioles
34 J.P. Arencibia RC Blue Jays
41 Josh Bell RC Orioles
54 Adam Jones Orioles
64 Adam Dunn Nationals
69 Dayan Viciedo RC White Sox
84 Vernon Wells Blue Jays
87 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
88 Nick Markakis Orioles
99 Wilson Ramos RC Nationals
PP7 Zach Britton Orioles
PP8 Adeiny Hechavarria Blue Jays
PP14 Kyle Drabek Blue Jays
PP23 J.D. Martinez Astros
PP34 Jason Esposito Team USA - With Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles)
PP46 Noe Ramirez Team USA Chrome Parallel #d561/999 w/Lowell Spinners (Red Sox)
Autograph Relic Card PAR-PO Peter O'Brien Colegiate National Team GREEN - blue sharpie on sticker 2-color swatch black/white #d180/199 Drafted by Rockies in 2011 but didn't sign playing College w/Miami Hurricanes

2011 Topps Teir One 61 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies Gold? Parallel #d196/199

2011 Topps Triple Threads Unity Relic Card? TTUS-137 Eddie Murray GU all gray some fraying at seams? Ruby Red? #d12/36 (can't find this exact numbering on online lists)

2004 MLB Showdown Card Game 11 pack

A while Back  (WOW back on 20 May) I had gotten some packs of cards from Target that I mentioned in this post Target Fairfield Value Pack Box This package consisted of 4 packs of baseball cards, 100 random baseball cards and a bonus of an additional pack of cards. I already mentioned the cards I got, but I decided I would show some of them. The few from the packs anyway, the 100 card deck I might only show a few choice ones. I haven't decided on that yet. I like getting these boxes/packages from time to time but I had forgotten that they "super" glue (it's not really the super-glue brand but the glue is really tough) the packs on the box supporting cardboard, making it nearly impossible to pull the packs off totally intact for those collectors who like to keep the pack wrappers.

BONUS PACK!

2004 MLB Showdown Card Game -
Trading Deadline Edition

(11 card pack)

I first became aware of this series/game when I got a Nick Johnson card (I've got to check that one out to see what his card says you are to do in the game, and to scan it someday). Anyway this is a CCG (Collectible Card Game) or TCG (Trading Card Game). I"m not sure how you play this game, or how long it takes, but I sure like these cards for some reason. I think I'll try to get the base set (how many hundreds of cards that is. I just researched and found they started making cards for this game in 2000 and ran the production each year until 2005 so six years worth. OK so make that 1,000s of cards). Anyway the set mixes in some game Legends and Vintage Hall of Fame players as well. It wasn't until I had scanned the pack wrapper and tried finding some of these cards on sportlots that I noticed I had the "Trading Deadline" Edition. Uh-oh that means it's more and more like Magic The Gathering as I feared. Maybe I won't go for a complete set, maybe just my fave teams, super stars and hall of famers.

There are two card backs since these cards are intended to be used for a game.  The base players backs are plain silver/gray while the "strategy" cards (The ones with the plays on them) are still silver/gray but with a red border.

2004 MLB Showdown Card Game - Player Card Back

 

2004 MLB Showdown Card Game - Play Strategy Card Back

010 Khalil Greene Padres

014 Brian Schneider Expos (Kool)

065 Randy Johnson D'Backs

066 John Burkett Red Sox

097 Jay Payton Padres

115 Roger Clemens Blue Jays
Chromy thing +5 Control card '97 Super Season

117 Luis Aparicio White Sox

(Cooperstown Collection)

118 Lou Brock Cards

(Cooperstown Collection)

S1 Dialed-in Offense Padres

S15 Great Reactions Defense Mets

S21 Feast Or Famine Utility Giants

Player Checklist 5/8

2004 MLB Showdown Game Instructions
(Back of Checklist Card)

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings Nick Johnson Framed

In a recent purchase from the Bay I got a Red Framed 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings 139 Nick Johnson Expos/Nationals. 2005 was the first year the relocated Montreal Expos played as The Washington Nationals in DC. Many cards from this time like this one will picture the player in their Expos uniform, but the card will say they play for the Nationals. This is the Red Framed version. The card has a glued-on maroon colored frame border and the Diamond Kings logo at the bottom is in a shiny metallic Red lettering. I think these framed versions are less common than the standard version. I have one of those I just haven't scanned it yet, when I do I'll probably do a side-by-side comparison, or just repost this scan with the standard one. They missed out by not serial numbering these, I would have liked if they had done that with this set.

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings

139 Nick Johnson  Expos Red Framed

Now the Ebay seller that I got this card from also included some "Bonus" cards (six total). Here are the six cards that were sent as a Bonus all six are for trade:

1990 Upper Deck 684  Jack Armstrong Reds
1990 Fleer 151 Andy Benes Padres
1990 Fleer 429 Jeff Reed Reds
 1992 Topps Stadium Club 684 Phil Stephenson Padres
1998 Topps Chrome (Yuck) 77 Greg Vaughn Padres
1998 Topps Chrome 212 Gerald Williams Brewers

The 1992 Topps Stadium Club Phil Stephenson card has no stats charts because and I quote "Insufficient Major League data available for an accurate analysis of batting strengths and weaknesses". Wait two years playing and NO STATS? This card is his 1992 card, they are just showing his rookie card on the back. And the Stadium Club series was Topps High-End Products in the 1990s.

At one point I liked the 1990 Fleer Baseball set, but got sick of it back in the day because I had so much of it and didn't have a complete set. Now it just reminds me of many of the reasons that era of card collecting is tarnished.

I really don't mind bonus cards, but these made no sense except for the fact that they were at least Baseball cards. None of them were even from Donruss, 2005 edition or Diamond Kings. None of them were Nationals (or Expos), Nick Johnson, or even one of the teams he played on. They are 1990s junk.I would think if you are going to send bonus cards try to match them up to what the person bought. I mentioned earlier a vintage '50s card of a Chicago Bears player I bought and the seller sent a couple of bonus more modern Bears. Although they were  prime 1990s junk cards one of which I already had. The point is they were at least of the same dang team of the original card I bought. End of RANT.

OK getting back to the Diamond Kings sets. I recall when Donruss began the Diamond Kings as a subset of the main 1982 set. That year they were the first 26 cards in the set. The following year 1983 they they had more DKs cards. They were a similar design and it is a little confusing because the 1983 cards are copyrighted 1982. I don't any of those scanned right now, but I do have some other 2005 and even a couple of 2004 DKs scanned to show right now:

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings

139 Nick Johnson Expos Silver #d-14/50

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings

250 Ryan Church Expos Red Framed

 2005 Donruss Diamond Kings

250 Ryan Church Expos

2004 Donruss Diamond Kings

85 Ryan Church Indians

2004 Donruss Diamond Kings

85 Ryan Church Indians Bronze Framed

Ice Fun - 2010-11 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey Twofer.

Once again from a sale from a member of TCC I got a nice deal on some terrific cards. This time some 2010-11 Upper Deck Artifacts Hockey cards. The first one from my fave team The Washington Capitals - Star Alexander Ovechkin card #178 serial numbered 686/999. Sort of a jersey number card since it has an 8 in it.

2010-11 Artifacts Star - 178 Alex Ovechkin #/999

Next we have a card from Nick Johnson.

D'OH! Not That NICK JOHNSON!

 

This Nick Johnson Rookie for the Pittsburgh Penguins. This card is Pittsburgh Penguins - Rookie Nick Johnson card #104 serial numbered 456/999. Nice how it is a sequential number counting  up to something.

2010-11 Artifacts Rookie - 104 Nick Johnson #/999

I like the design of these cards. I might have to bit the bullet and start getting the base set of this.