COMC Surprise

I don't utilize COMC much these days. The Pirate auto/relics tend to be a little higher than eBay and the commons/inserts are more expensive than Sportlots and Just Commons. COMC seems to only work well for my WVU collection.  Recently I made a fairly significant purchase that was all WVU minus one card.

2007 Exquisite Alexi Castilla/Don Kelly Dual Auto /35

On the surface this dual auto is not very exciting, but I had no idea this card existed. Don Kelly only played a short time for the Pirates and I wasn't aware of a certified auto as he wasn't on the prospect radar.  He would later go on to make a name for himself as a utility player for a bunch of good Tigers teams and earned a few cards, but this one was news to me. So I snatched this bad boy up for $3.99 and I'm super happy to own it. 

Once I got this card in hand I went to look at some more cards in the set.  Turns out he actually has another dual featuring him and Cal Ripken.  Talk about a mismatch.  I must have it!!!!  Only one is on eBay and the seller is asking for $150.  Obviously that is way too much, but now that I know it exists I can keep it on my radar. 

Thanks for reading. 

An Exquisite Bay

2007 Exquisite Jason Bay Auto /20

Pride of Canada Jason Bay will forever hold a special place in my collecting heart. He kept me interested in the Pirates during the latter years of the losing streak. I've mentioned a few times that my Bay collection is by far the most complete of any player I've collected over the years. Being able to find new Bay's is a big deal as most of my needs are obscure parallels. 

Like the Teke card I showed yesterday, I was the only bidder. The starting bid was only $4 but I guess the $3 shipping scared people away. I will happily pay $7 to add this to my collection. Let's hope a few more Bay's hit the market for cheap prices! 

As you are reading this I should be on a plane heading home from Boston. I'll share some pictures in the next couple days. 

Thanks for reading! 

Gonzo for Gorzo

I haven't really decided if it is a good habit or a bad one, but I often utilize seller's combine shipping. Sometimes I feel I trick myself into thinking I'm getting a good deal, but in reality I'm probably just spending extra money on a card I really don't need. Other times I'm happy I did the search as it can be a treasure trove of cards I needed. Such was the case recently......

Recently a seller had a Tom Gorzelanny auto that I wanted. It just happened he had quite a few Gorzo autos after exploring his eBay store.

 2007 Exquisite Jason Bay/Tom Gorzelanny Auto /10

 2007 UD Black Tom Gorzelanny/Adam LaRoche Auto /15

 2007 Exquisite Tom Gorzelanny Auto /20

2008 UD Baseball Heroes Auto Jersey /75

What made this deal so great was that it also included a low numbered refractor of Marc Bulger. The whole lot was just a shade under $12 shipped. 

The card that originally got my attention was the Exquisite featuring only Gorzelanny. I hadn't seen that card for a long time and knew this would be a good opportunity to pounce.  The big bonus was being able to get the Bay/Gorzo auto for cheap. That card would have carried a good price tag back when that product was released. 

Gorzo is still hanging around as a reliever, but really hasn't had much success sticking around long term. A typical season will see him get a decent amount of innings, but also shipped to AAA a few times. I'm hoping his career trajectory will be that of Zach Duke and that he can get a job solidified in the bullpen.  

On a side note Gorzo was part of the trade to the Cubs that netted Josh Harrison. At the time Harrison seemed more of a throw in as Kevin Hart was the main piece. 

Hope those on the east coast is surviving the storm.  We are expecting about 18 inches here.  Yuck!