Nacho Group Break

Recently Chris from Nachos Grande hosted a group break featuring some Stadium Club and High Tek as the main event. After cleaning up in Chris's earlier break of TSC I figured I would give it a whirl again. I was especially interested in High Tek and was hoping that luck would be on my side once again.

Unfortunately the group break gods felt I did too well in the earlier break so they evened the score and shut me out of anything major. This is the chance you take. While this normally would mean I would just walk away with some base, Chris upped the ante with this break.  He guaranteed that everybody would walk away with a hit and a significant pile of cards from your chosen team.  It was impossible to lose with this break!

Here is a sample of what Chris sent. The overall package was overwhelming. It had 6 team bags full of Pirates. You are more than generous my friend.

My guaranteed hit was an Ian Snell relic that I actually didn't have. So this was pretty cool.

At one point it looked like Snell was going to be a quality pitcher, but command and maturity brought his career to an end early.

 A nice Bay from a very high end set. Bay is one of my favorites so this was a nice addition.

 My best hit in the break was the gold parallel of McCutchen. A great card!

 Some more TSC Pirates.

 Chris also busted some Triple Play. He pulled me two Cutch cards!

 My birth year set. 82 Topps. The Tekulve is my favorite.

 A nice mix of Pirate Hall of Famers.

Now for the main event!!!!!!

More Walk than most can handle. 

Thanks for all the great cards Chris. I'm very excited about the 2015 Series 1 jumbo break. I know hosting breaks can be a lot of work, so I really appreciate all the time you put in.  

Thanks for reading.

Contest Reminder

We are off to a good start.  At last count I'm at 34 entries.

Click here to join the fun.

Bob Walk the Plank Birthday Extravaganza Contest

Today marks my one year anniversary of starting Bob Walk the Plank. The whole idea came about from being bored with the process of accumulating cards via eBay and filing them away. I was craving cardboard discussion and in the process hopefully establishing some trade partners. The free time that allowed everything to come together was explained in this post.

In a year I was able to complete over 100 trades and post almost daily.  I knew going in I wouldn't have the time for original content oriented posts so I focused on trade posts, box breaks and recent pickups. This kept the daily upkeep to a minimum and allowed me the time to read and comment on most of the blogs in my feed. The frequent commenting turned out to be a big factor in finding many trade partners. Also, big thanks to all of you who comment on my blog. The interaction makes things fun.

Going forward I hope for more of the same. I find that I do better not setting rules and guidelines for myself and just letting things happen organically. 

So a big thanks to all of you for checking out the blog on a regular basis. 

Now for the CONTEST!!!!

For contests I try to keep things simple.  It will be the same process as my last one where the only thing you need to do is comment on this post (one entry per person). Just leave your favorite team and player(s). This will allow me to give you a prize package catered to your collection.

If you are new to Bob Walk the Plank please become a follower before you enter the contest. Also, if anyone wants to start up a trade my email is mattscott82@gmail.com.  

I'll pick 3 winners by randomizing all the entries 3 times in Random.org. For each additional 10 entries past 50 I will add another winner. No bonus for pimping the contest, but feel free to do so as the more people who enter will create more winners. 

I'll close the contest on Monday.

On to year 2!

Bad But Not Bad Enough

No professional sports draft is more unpredictable than the MLB draft. While many experts will say certain guys grade out better than others, no matter how high the pick it will come with huge question marks. Rarely do you see a draft where most scouts agree that minus an injury certain guys are destined to be superstars. Enter the 2009 and 2010 drafts. Otherwise known as the Steven Strasburg and Bryce Harper sweepstakes.

Both years the Pirates were terrible, but not terrible enough. The Nationals were an absolute joke of a team those years and were able to draft and sign both mega talents. What could have been...

Obviously the verdict is still out on whether Strasburg will become a superstar pitcher. The guy puts up great numbers, but doesn't pitch deep into games. Hard to be considered a top tier pitcher when you rarely get out of the 6th and 7th innings.

Harper just needs to stay on the field. The guy can play and the numbers in 2012 and 13 were impressive for a guy who just reached 20 years of age. They just got overshadowed because of Mike Trout. A lot of people hate on Harper, but the Nationals only have themselves to blame. They marketed the kid as a superstar before he played his first game.  His minor league games were getting heavily broadcasted and his jersey was being sold at Nationals Stadium long before he made his debut. Hard not to have a little edge about you when everyone says you are going to be great.

2011 Bowman Platinum Bryce Harper/Jameson Taillon Dual Auto /89

The 2010 draft turned out to be loaded. It has already produced 4 All Stars in Harper, Manny Machado, Matt Harvey and Chris Sale. The Pirates used the 2nd pick to take Jameson Taillon who was considered the best high school pitcher in the draft with tons of upside. Taillon would have made his debut at some point last year if he hadn't blown out his arm. Let's hope to a full recovery and a successful debut this year. 

I picked up this dual auto when both Taillon and Harper were hurt at the beginning of the season last year. Hopefully it turns out to be a nice buy low card. 

Thanks for reading!

Not a Pirate

UD Premier Ken Griffey Jr/Andruw Jones Dual Auto /25

Every so often I like to show off something in my collection that really doesn't have a place other than the fact it is cool card. Back in mid 2000's I had accumulated a good bit of high end cards because I was frequent opener of packs. I often reflect on this time as my carefree (read non married non kid) collecting time. Single. + real world job = card frenzy. It was fun while it lasted. Long story short I met a girl.

Finding myself in a very serious relationship I figured I needed to just focus on my Pirates and sold off most of my high $ cards to help pay for a nice ring and hook myself up with some high end Buccos and Mountaineers. Now I pretty much stick to my guns other than getting together with my buddies to bust a cheap box. Most of the cards I pull I spread among my blog friends.

With all that being said I'm not completely void of nice cards outside the realm of my collection. Sometimes I'll branch out and try to find autos of players that I once owned. Such is the case with the Griffey and Jones. If I recall this was a painkiller induced purchase when I was recovering from surgery. I'm sure if I went back and tabulated my total $'s spent during this time period it would probably make me throw up. Oh well....it made me feel better.

Thanks for reading!

Fantastic Catch = Fantastic Cutch

I recently completed my first trade with Weston from Fantastic Catch. Weston approached me saying he had some extra Pirates and the rest was history. I sent him some Cardinals and a short time later I had a bubble mailer full of goodness.

 As you will notice Weston didn't mess around. He sent a slew of Cutch cards my way.

 The orange Chrome is a sharp looking card. Also a nice mix of rookies on the top left.

Weston even threw in the other McCutchen. Daniel had a short stint as a Pirates reliever. This is his rookie Topps Chrome auto.

Card scanned poorly but this is a sweet Bowman reprint.

 As most of you know I have a soft spot for Jason Bay so I really dig the Ovation card.

The thought crossed my mind to try and complete the mascot auto set out of Opening Day this past year. Prices were just a little too high for my blood.  Damn you Wally. I did finish the insert set.

Great shot of Michael McKenry making a play. One of my favorite cards from that year. 

Thanks for all the great cards Weston. Let me know when you want to swap again.

A Look at Trinity

Not that Trinity.

2014 Leaf Trinity is a set based around autographs of prospects. The set has 3 different type of cards. You will either get a patch auto, inscribed auto or plexi-glass auto. This is a type of product that I would never open, but love to buy on the secondary market. It is a great way to get some nice on card autos of prospects for a much cheaper price then some of the Topps/Bowman products.

This years set featured both of the first round picks of the Pirates this past year Cole Tucker (picked 24th) and Connor Joe (39th). I've been buying a lot of cards of each lately as prices have been very affordable. As you will see I've went a little overboard with adding some cards from Trinity, but it will showcase all the auto types I referenced above.  While the pictures are pretty plain, the autos are very bright and on card!

I think my favorite is the acetate card of Cole Tucker. It is one of those cards that a scan doesn't really capture the essence of the card.  It looks really nice!

If you are a prospect collector take a look at Trinity.  You might be able to find a really nice card for under $10. The printing plate was the most expensive card out of this group, costing around $15-20. 

Thanks for reading!

Market Inefficiency

When you buy enough cards off of eBay you begin to notice trends. The obvious ones include Topps selling higher than Panini and on card autos more than stickers. A few weeks back I was doing some searches for Gerrit Cole and came across this....

2014 Donruss Gerrit Cole Box Topper Auto

I'm pretty much a sucker for anything Cole so I watched this auction for the 5 day period as it sat without a bid going to the last day. The starting bid was 9.99 which I'm sure detracted bidders, but I thought for sure it would go higher. Sure enough I was the only bidder. 

I started searching sold auctions for box toppers and overall it is a good way to find some deals on some big names. My guess the low prices have something to do with the combination of how to protect and display. Also, as a seller they are kind of a pain in the ass to protect and mail.

Either way I was happy to score an auto of one of my favorite Buccos for a good price.

Jaybarkerfan's Version of Junk Wax

The other day I received a mysterious package in the mail.  It contained two packs of Donruss and nothing else. If it wasn't for the Alabama address it would have remained a mystery. Why is the crazy madman Wes sending junk wax? 

It was his way to distribute another awesome batch of cards.

Love the Sweet Spot autos with the college helmets.

Orlando Merced auto!

Bob Walk scoping out chicks.

A great mix of old and new. Wes even snuck in a Steelers card.

You and I are in for a wild ride this year my friend. I know I won't be able to match your craziness, but I'm prepared to give it the old college try. I see today you already received my first shot for 2015. As we speak I'm reloading and getting ready to fire back again shortly! War it is.

Tribute

I've never opened a box of Topps Tribute and probably never will. With that being said I do love the nice on card autos. I always try to snag a few when the opportunity presents itself. I've had these for a long time, but figured they would look nice in a post together.

 2013 Topps Tribute Starling Marte Auto /35

 2013 Topps Tribute Starling Marte Auto /50

I have a lot Starling Marte cards in my collection, but I think the Tribute in the gold jersey might be my favorite. When the Pirates hinted at a new alternate jersey I was hoping they would go with the gold jersey, but it turned out it will be a camo version. The gold will continue to be used in Spring Training. One of my prized possession hanging in my basement is a gold jersey signed by Neil Walker.

Lately it has been getting tougher to add Marte autographs. He was featured in a lot of 2014 product, but the secondary market prices remain strong. Many autos that I could buy for around $10 are going for double. You can still find the occasional deal, but they are few and far between. 

Quick post tonight. Pens and Blackhawks are playing tonight!

Thanks for reading.

A Couple of Birds

Over the past year I've opened a fair amount of Donruss. So much so I accumulated most of the set and a lot of the autographs. Combine that with a nice eBay win of 12 auto lot back in the summer I decided I'll make an attempt to complete the Donruss Signatures set. The checklist consisted of 50 autos, but only a few carry high secondary market value. If the set included the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout I wouldn't have even thought about it.  Here is the list.

1 Billy Hamilton
2 Dave Parker
3 Wil Myers
4 Jason Kipnis
5 Mike Zunino
6 Manny Machado
7 Bucky Dent
8 Kris Medlen
9 Chris Sale
10 Dusty Baker
11 Oscar Gamble
12 Willie Horton
13 Brandon Barnes
14 Martin Prado
15 Brandon Maurer
16 Alex Wilson
17 Andrew Brown
18 Starling Marte
19 Chris Rusin
20 Jordan Zimmermann
21 Evan Gattis
22 Mitch Moreland
23 Josh Donaldson
24 Bruce Rondon
25 Asdrubal Cabrera

26 Troy Glaus
27 James Shields
28 Jeurys Familia
29 Wilmer Flores
30 Didi Gregorius
31 Reymond Fuentes
32 Ivan Nova
33 Kevin Gausman
34 Jay Bruce
35 Michael Choice
36 Daniel Nava
37 Nick Castellanos
38 Lance Lynn
39 Taijuan Walker
40 Xander Bogaerts
41 Kolten Wong
42 Jurickson Profar
43 Mike Napoli
44 Zack Wheeler
45 Vinnie Pestano
46 Michael Morse
47 Jay Buhner
48 Oscar Taveras
49 Adam LaRoche
50 Miguel Sano

At the time of release the younger guys like Tavares, Bogaerts and Billy Hamilton carried most of the value. I actually pulled Tavares and Bogaerts and Billy Hamilton was a redemption so it was pretty easy to cherry pick that one off of eBay for a cheap price. Thankfully he fulfilled the obligation and I have that in hand. 

This past week I was able to knock what is probably the most expensive auto in the set and one of his teammates. 

Off the top of my head I'm only missing 6 of the autos. I'm waiting on a few auctions to end and some COMC sellers to get back to me. One that I know I haven't seen is the Adam Laroche. I'm not sure if they even made that one. I believe the only redemptions were Starling Marte and Billy Hamilton which I have and were filled very quickly.

Overall this has been a fun project that should be easy to put to bed as long as the cards come to market. I should have a better idea of what I'll need by late next week.

Thanks for reading!

Going Against the Norm

I don't have many rules when it comes to my collection other than have fun and try not to go crazy with spending. The majority of the money I spend goes to eBay purchases which mainly consist of Pirate autographs. Sometimes I'll find a cool patch or a random card that someone else might need, but I would say autos take up around 90% of my purchasing.

One aspect of the hobby I rarely hunt for are parallels. At some point I would like to go after a rainbow of a player, but nothing has caught my attention. I think the hunt would make me go crazy. Maybe once the Pirates new short season team starts playing in Morgantown I will get attached to one of the players and possibly try to acquire as many cards as possible much like Luis Torrens with Zippy Zappy.

With all that being said one certain parallel caught my eye this year. I fell in love with the clear stock acetate cards. I knew I wanted to add one to my collection and figured I would try Polanco. After a few missed opportunities I was able to secure one. Of all the Topps parallels these seem to have been a hit with collectors as the secondary market sales are strong.

2014 Topps Update Gregory Polanco Acetate Parallel /10

Overall this really doesn't change my view on parallels. If one happens to pop up that actually looks different I can be swayed, but my spending habits will be the same. For now I'm just happy to secure a card that I was hunting for.

Thanks for reading!

Box Break: 2013 Hometown Heroes

I've been sitting on this box since Christmas, but just got around to opening it today. This showed better restraint than normal when unopened boxes are within my grasp, but I promised myself to get caught back up with my trade posts and some organization before I took the plunge.

This is my first hobby box of 2013 Hometown Heroes, but opened a little retail over the course of the past year. The hobby version guarantees 3 autos (I pulled 4!). The overall experience was as good as you can expect a non licensed product to be. You have a nice checklist of some guys that don't get a lot of love so that is a positive. The Hometown Signatures are all on card as well!

Take a look..

 I can feel the Dodgers fans groan seeing that this is a "Chicago" card.

 Love the Nicknames insert! I pulled 4 and think the Cey and Griffey are my favorites.

 Pulling Jeter is always nice.

 The zip and state parallels.

 My inserts were very Yankee heavy.

3 big names from the Defining Moments insert. I know Tulo is hurt all the time, but he and Giancarlo Stanton are my two favorite non Pirates. If healthy Tulo might be the only player capable of beating Mike Trout and the season WAR crown, but that never happens....

As you can see the autos were a nice mix of guys who were fixtures on their teams, but never superstars. If the opportunity presents itself I would probably take another stab at a box of Hometown Heroes. It has become a nice value purchase.

Thanks for reading!