Bye Bye Mail-day Tracking Bye Bye Bye

OK so this post story will probably be two-fold. The main subject will be mail days tracking. I guess I'll start with what I used to do up until a little over a year ago. I think I have described the process in detail before so I'll try not to get too deep into this time. Basically until around mid January of last year (2019) I used to keep pretty detailed records of what cards I got in the mail, from where how much I paid for them etc. Since last January I haven't updated any posts or files, but still stupidly have been keeping all the packages and envelopes separate in their piles and marking the outer envelope with the receiving date, but often not keeping track of prices especially the shipping costs. So I have a few boxes of padded envelopes and PWEs with assorted cards that I know exactly when I got them but may or may not have what I paid for them. Sometimes Sportlots sellers include all the details, but often if they do include a packing slip the shipping fees are not listed. Sometimes they don't include anything so there is not even the record of what I paid for the lot or the singles or what have me. At one time I thought about trying to catch up and have a word file with some stuff that came in early 2019 but it is far from complete I think there are 3 or 4 padded envelopes left from January 2019 and some of the other months I have some packages listed here and some PWEs there. So That stuff came to a screeching halt sometime around this January. Except I have still been marking the envelopes with date received.

I used to keep track of all that stuff in two places first on the community site Trading Card Central (TCC) that was my main "storage" area for my mail day posts. I would then cut & paste my TCC post onto Trading Card Zone (TCZ) which a few years back changed it's name to Sports Card University. Sometimes the TCZ version I would tweak some to cater to that forum's platform. Usually I would draft my posts as a MicroSoft Word file or just a plain Windows Notepad file. Sometimes I would save the original file sometimes not. Well now long story short TCC seems to have finally bought the farm and bit the bullet, and formerly TCZ merged with another site to become Sports Card Club. The TCC site seems to be totally dead now (since around early Mar) and Sports Card Club is currently blocked by my work network and I haven't bothered trying to connect when at home.

So yeah I no longer keep detailed records of what I have gotten, when, or from where, or for how much. I can look at my buying history on COMC and Sporlots and Ebay (to some extent) but I'm not going to bother any more. Trying to do my previous card inventory logging delays the organizing and cataloging of my collection too much. So those days of being super detailed (or anal retentive) are over. I still have some records and I have my Check Out My Cards records that I have been meaning to make some "MailDazed From The Pazt" posts with those. I'm stalled on finding the dang Football cards from my very first order that were mostly from the 2009 Donruss Classics football cards. Maybe sometime I'll get around to that and scanning all the cards from my various orders there.

Well that is all that I will talk about that for now lets look at some cards:

OK so I'll show two cards that it turns out I got from a Sportlots order that I received on 19 Jul 2019. Two 2019 Panini Score Football cards both parallels, both Rams. First one is card 296 Todd Gurley Red parallel and the other is card 299 Brandin Cooks Gold parallel. Neither is a serial numbered card. I only know that information from the little paper slip I put in the penny sleeve that one of the cards was in. Part of my old system that sort of ended last year, except I have still marked the envelopes with the date I received things. I could look in my Sportlots buying history to find out about the order but I'm not going to bother.

 2019 Panini: Score Football: 299 Gold Brandin Cooks Los Angeles Rams

 2019 Panini: Score Football: 296 Red Todd Gurley II Los Angeles Rams

I really like the design of the 2019 Score Football. Especially the helmet in the corner. I wish the backs had more complete stats and didn't repeat the front photo. I'd rather have all stats like in the 1960s and 70s Topps monopoly days. I probably have the normal base versions of these cards from my Sports Card Forum (SCF) team trades but I'm not sure. I should also get the Red Cooks and the Gold Gurley to have those rainbows. Oh well a collectors life is never done, or his collection never complete or dead or something.

Blogged But Not Blogged: Roman Gabriel WLAF

This is the type of post that I have probably done many times before, I call this type of post "Blogged, But Not Blogged" at least I will call it that from now on. Long story short since Aug 2007 I have been blogging about my card mail days over at TCC on my blog over there, and since July 2012 duplicating those posts in a mail day thread at the TCZ forums. I started the TCC one partly as an attempt to post trade bait but it morphed into more of a mail day posting board. There are many cards I have mentioned in detail at those sites that I have never blogged about here on what I consider to be my official trading card blog. A few times, mostly in the early days, I mentioned a card in my mail day and even scanned it (at least the front) but never blogged about it over here.*

This is the story of one such card:

On Monday (24 Sept 2007) I received an order from Sportlots.com I was waiting on. A Roman Gabriel 1991 Pro Set World League "Collectible" card #24 (Inserted in 1991 Pro Set NFL packs).

I didn't realize it would be coming from Canada. Anyway I thought it was a card I didn't have but it turns out I had it. I have the full World League Set, but not all of the Inserts to the NFL set which are slightly different thus part of my confusion. My older card had a surprise. Little did I know that what I had always assumed was some odd Gatorade spray caught on film, seems to be some sort of damage to the card. I never thought anything of it because it was the only copy of the card I had and it didn't look like damage. This was before the Internet so I had never seen the image "online" before. Oh well. It appears the "spray" is possibly some kind of low ink or dirty printing plate printing error.

Roman is my fave all-time Rams Quarterback (Down Kurt Warner Down). I was told some years ago that when I was 3 or 4 my family was worried there was something wrong with me because I didn't talk much, so I was sent for testing at an Easter Seals Medical Clinic for hearing tests and other such nonsense. I remember some of those visits, but not this particular story. At the time I didn't know the reasoning of the trips to this particular medical clinic. I just looked at them as any other childhood "trip to the vet doctor", except I recall I didn't like going to these extra ear tests. Apparently my folks thought I might be deaf or have some other physical or maybe mental problem. One of the physicians or maybe an assistant or technician there noticed me doodling pictures of little football men (mostly of a quarterback with the number #18 on his chest), and in talking to me discovered that I was a big Los Angeles Rams fan and that Roman Gabriel (#18) was my favorite QB. Well then they found out I didn't have any physical problem, I was just extremely shy.

The subject card of this post is from the 1991 Pro Set World League of American Football insert set from the 1991 Pro Set NFL card set. On the back by the card number these cards were labeled World League Collectible there are 32 cards total. I mentioned a confusion of these cards because Pro Set produced a 150 card WLAF set. I had bought the set whole in one of those small card boxes that has the outer sleeve of the box over the container box.

ON to the card:

1991 Pro Set Football: WLAF Collectible Insert: 24 Roman Gabriel Head Coach Skyhawks

Original "spray" card

1991 Pro Set Football: WLAF Collectible Insert: 24 Roman Gabriel Head Coach Skyhawks

Regular card

Side by Side

1991 Pro Set WLAF Football: 131 Roman Gabriel Head Coach Skyhawks

* This post is the first one that I drafted for this "Blogged But Not Blogged" series so the introduction is a little longer than other posts in the series. I wasn't sure of the order I would publish them in. As of the 01 April 2018 (now 28 Apr 2018) editing draft of this post two other posts from this series have been published before this one. I have created a "BBNB" label for this series. (OK kids you should be able to figure that one out) I usually cut & paste the original blog or forum posts and then edit and add onto them so things could get a little confusing with these posts. 

For this post the original posting in my "CaptKirk42's Collection" TCC thread (post #21) didn't go into too much detail. So this post is more of a rewrite than a direct copy. The previously posted stories were typical direct copy with some rewriting. It should also be noted that most of the images from the old TCC posts are no longer showing due to Photobucket's change to their third party sharing polices. Free accounts can't do it anymore. So many of these images will be newly uploaded scans, or copies of the original scan/photo. The first 3 images in this post are my original scans. The rest are newly scanned images that I have cropped better and straightened their angles via the free photo editing software "PhotoScape"

Booty From A Baseball Group Break In The Zone

Back in January of this year (2014) I got my Booty from a Baseball Group Box Break over at TCZ. My chosen team was the Nationals. I used to have the Orioles in the group as well, but finances (mostly frequent major car repairs) have made taking two teams in groups difficult. This was one of those breaks were unfortunately I didn't get much from my own team. The only card I did get was a two player card, both players prospects fortunately the other team was unclaimed. I'm not a big fan of prospect cards, many of the guys never make it to the bigs. The rest of the cards I got were random base from unclaimed teams and a randomized hit. I think that card almost makes up for the lack of my homie team. It is from one of my PC 1970s childhood HOF guys.

2012 Panini Elite Extra Edition Baseball: (These 6 cards are for trade/sale/giveaway)

14 Brian Johnson Red Sox
23 Tyler Gonzales Blue Jays
65 Kolby Copeland Marlins
73 Dario Pizzano Mariners
77 Rio Ruiz Astros
100 Andrew Lockett Padres

Next the only Nationals card from the break:

Building Blocks 16 Richie Shaffer Rays and Spencer Kieboom Nationals

Next a HOFer from the Golden Oldie age:

2013 Topps Triple Threads 82 Jimmie Foxx Red Sox

Special Randomized HIT:

2013 Topps Tier One: Legends Relics TORL-GB George Brett Royals GU Bat #d 49/99

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.

Sports Card Album Website

I recently discovered a collection tracking, maintaining website (via one of the card forums I frequent TCZ) called appropriately enough Sports Card Album. Actually now that I'm using it and when I saw the logo, I seem to recall a few months back seeing announcements of its coming and being in beta status. It has officially launched now, I joined up a few days after the big start-up apparently.

It's main purpose to be a way to add your cards simply and quickly online via your mobile device so it has a vertical scrolling format, which can sometimes be a bit bothersome on PC. Since it has barely been a day since I've signed up and started working with it I am still getting familiar with most of the functions. The search or limited ability to search is a little irksome, that and it appears that you can't really organized your cards the way you want to. They appear to be only in the order that you entered them, newest on top.

If you follow friends or other members on the site the default searching just shows their collections and yours, not any others. You have to go back to "all cards" to see other peoples stuff. Searching seems to be limited to player, I haven't really tried any other ways of searching.

They do have some links to some of the social media things like Twitter (they seem to be big on that, I'm not real big on Twitter), Facebook, You-Tube and Ebay but they don't have a link to Zistle yet.