Diamond King Challenge

One of the fun aspects about our hobby is finding out about cards you had no idea existed. A few weeks back I made such a discovery and really cashed in on some unique cardboard. 

A set that I hold near and dear to my heart is the mid 2000's versions of Diamond Kings.  I'm a fan of canvas cards so that got me interested right away, but what set DK apart was that the checklist was Pirate heavy.  As many of these cards I purchased over the years, one parallel set flew under the radar until my recent eBay discovery.

Have you heard of the DK Challenge Factory Set? Apparently the first 450 collectors to send in the complete base set of 450 cards received a special DK Challenge factory set. Each set would also come with 4 printing plates and two random one of one inserts.  That was news to me. 

When browsing eBay I often look for DK cards and came across a seller liquidating a huge collection of the 1/1's from the challenge set.  I'm not sure if he had them all, but it was close.  I put all the Pirates on my watch list. 

If I recall correctly 11 Pirate 1/1's were listed and I managed to secure 9 of them. The Jason Kendall and Aramis Ramirez were the only ones I lost. High end Kendall cards sell well for whatever reason.   While it may look like I broke the bank, only 2 sold for more than $5 (Jack Wilson and Dave Parker).  Obviously some of the big names went for some huge coin, but overall some good deals were for the taking. I'm guessing the obscurity of the set scared some people off. 

The cards themselves mirror the normal DK cards minus the word "challenge" embossed on the bottom right.  You can't really tell from the scan, but you can notice what looks like some squiggly lines.  That's the work challenge. 

Here they are!

I'm most excited for the two Jason Bay cards.  I'm to the point where it is hard for me to find new ones and I was able to add two from the same seller. For appearance purposes the Cobra would be my first pick.  The guy just has a ton of good cardboard.

Did you know this set existed?

PS: If you want to join Secret Santa 2017 click here.

Thanks for reading.

Late Night Tribute

I'm getting a little behind on trade packages, but I hope to remedy that beginning tomorrow. So if you have sent me something rest assured a post will be coming soon. I've also started to send out a few packages with three heading out the door so far this week and bunch more planned on Monday.

Tribute Time

2003 Topps Tribute World Series Edition Team Tribute Stargell/Parker/Madlock Triple Relic /275

This card is almost perfect for a Pirates collector. In the 2000's this combo was used a lot for relics, but the Tribute version is one of my favorites. It just has a cool look. Late 70's Pirate uniforms are awesome! 

On a side note the seller I purchased this from left a comment on my eBay feedback thanking me for the purchase and that he follows my blog. Always cool when someone comes out of the woodwork and says he reads my cardboard ramblings and my dislike for John Lackey. 

Thanks for reading! 

Strippers, Booze and Cobras

Today is my birthday! It was full of crazy amounts of alcohol and strippers........33 is such a monumental birthday.

In actuality I was hoping to get some quality card time, but a prolonged visit from my parents and the fact that my daughter is under the weather put a hold on those plans. Maybe tomorrow for some quality time with the cardboard.

2005 Absolute Memorabilia Dave Parker Dual Patch/Bat /25

I'm such a sucker for patch cards from older Pirates. I really should allocate my card money to autos or set needs, but I'm a kid in the candy store when these type of cards pop up. GOTTA HAVE IT!!! I only paid $9.50 for this so it wasn't too expensive. Must be the old Pirate jerseys. That gold is mesmerizing. 

Back to strippers and alcohol.

Atlantic City Cobra

The last few months have been extra enjoyable when it comes to adding cards to my collection. Don't get me wrong I love all my cards, but my most recent additions have added an extra sense of accomplishment. After several years of new releases featuring an abundance of Pirates, 2015 has things coming to a screeching halt. In turn, I've been spending most of my time chasing some overlooked cards in the 2000's.

Some cards I'm specifically chasing, while others I randomly come across by searching by player. Here is one of those random cards.

2003 Donruss Classics Atlantic City National Parallel /5

I was aware that the Atlantic City National parallels existed, but never had come across the Dave Parker. Sometimes random late night eBay searching can pay dividends.

My understanding that the only way you could originally get these cards is by opening a certain amount of Donruss packs at their booth during the convention. You were then given a special parallel numbered to /5 of one of the base cards from the set.

The card only cost me $4.50 which seemed more than reasonable for such a rare parallel. As I've stated on here before, Parker is a great guy to collect as he is very affordable.

Remember to check out my contest here.

Thanks for reading!

Notable Nicknames are Complete

At least once a year I get smitten with a certain card or set. When I first saw that three Pirates (Polanco, Parker and Cole) were going to be featured in the National Treasures Notable Nicknames set I knew that I was going to chase them. I've featured the Polanco and Parker before, but I thought it would be fun showing all three together.

The Polanco was a redemption which really helped keep the price manageable. Once the card went live the price jumped up some so I was happy I acted early. Polanco is an active signer so I had no worries of the redemption going dormant.

I actually have two copies of this card if someone would like to trade.

Parker has had a ton of auto releases over the years which makes chasing his cards extremely affordable. He is probably my favorite of the 1970's Pirates to collect. This card was a little more expensive (~$20) than normal Parker's but I felt considering the set and the nickname inscription that is was a reasonable deal. 

Finding the Gerrit Cole proved to be much more difficult than I expected. The card is numbered to 25, but rarity really wasn't the issue. In my head I figured that around $40 would do the trick. Once the cards hit they were routinely going for $50-60.  That was just too far away from my comfort zone. I continued bidding on every one that hit eBay, but they consistently stayed around that price. In the end I probably put a bid on half the total print run. 

The plot thickened even more when Cole got off to a crazy good start this year. I was worried that I might get priced out of ever picking this card up. Fortunately my patience paid off as I was able to secure a copy a couple weeks back right at the $40 mark. 

I'm hoping the Pirates will be represented again if National Treasures decides to do the Notable Nicknames again. Lots of good options, but these are just begging to be issued....

Bill Mad Dog Madlock

John Candy Man Candelaria

Thanks for reading!

COBRA

I made reference in my post yesterday that the Notable Nicknames set has 3 Pirates in it and that I only needed the Cole.  I've actually had the Parker for a significant amount of time but wanted to wait and show off until I either got the Polanco or Cole.

It looks like the Cole is going to be more of a challenge than initially thought. I haven't seen one go below $40 and average price seems to be around $50-55.  That is a little out of my comfort zone for Cole.

Here is the Parker.

2014 Notable Nickname Dave Parker /99

The Parker is the cheapest of the three Pirates in this set, but it was my most desired one. Parker has a handful of cards that feature his nickname, but in my opinion this is the nicest version. On card and in bright blue ink, the card does a good job of making the nickname the main attraction.

One of the nice things about collecting Pirates from the late 70's is that all the guys are affordable and still very active signers.

Now I need to get that Cole....

COBRA!!!

Premier Cards

2008 UD Premier Clemente/Parker/Bay Triple Jersey /50

If you were a Pirates collector in 2008 variety was hard to find. Most new releases included Jason Bay with the possible sprinkling of Freddy Sanchez. One of the hidden perks with Bay being in every release was that he helped bring down the cost of cards that would normally be too expensive for my tastes. 

Anytime you have a game used Clemente card you can expect to pay top dollar. In some instances the inclusion of certain players can work in the buyers favor. While Bay at the time was putting up star numbers he was not expensive in the world of cards. I can't remember exactly what I paid for this card, but the price must have been low enough to get my attention. I'm guessing it would had to been less than $50 maybe ever more.

I made a similar purchase when I got a Magic Johnson/ Joe Alexander dual auto. I'm the only person on earth that wanted that card because of Joe Alexander and it showed as the price was well below what a normal Magic auto would pull on eBay. 

One of the more one sided dual autos you will ever find. 

While I want all Pirate and WVU players to do well, it sometimes can be rewarding to use the secondary market shortcomings of one player to acquire one that normally would be out of reach. Thanks Jason and Joe for helping me obtain Roberto and Magic!

Cobra

I'm finally caught up on all my trade packages that I received in the past week.  Thanks again to everybody who sent cards my way.  Bob Walk the Plank is all about trading so it was a blast to receive so many great cards.  

2005 Prime Patches Dave Parker Patch Auto /36

This card popped up on Ebay recently and I had to have it.  For $26 shipped the auction was mine and just a couple days later it was in hand.  I was happy with the price as I was willing to go a good bit higher. Patch cards of the older players are hard to come by and when they show up they usually command a premium price.  This makes for one of my nicer Cobra cards and a welcome addition to the collection.  

Thanks for checking a post that wasn't a trade!  

Ensemble Signatures

If you were a Pirate team collector in the mid 2000's Jason Bay was your guy.  He showed up in every set and was usually the main focus for any auto or relic card.  I don't have an actual tally, but I would be willing to guess that I have more Bay cards than any other Pirate. I probably have 6 months were of posts that I could dedicate to the former Bucco outfielder.  Here is one of my favorites...

2006 Ultimate Collection Ensemble Signatures /25

I know for some Bay kind of ruins this card, but I still love it.  Bay was one of the few reasons to pay attention to the Bucs during this time frame.  Hopefully he becomes Prime Minister of Canada or starts dating someone famous.  I will be in business value wise.  

The Buccos exercised their LA demons by taking 3 of 4 from the Dodgers.  It was the first time they have won a series in LA since 2006.  Hopefully this gets them going.  

Clemente Parker Bay

UD Premiere Robert Clemente/Dave Parker/Jason Bay Triple Jersey /50

I don't own much Clemente stuff as the prices are usually out of sight.  This triple jersey is a little higher numbered than most Clemente items and also features Dave Parker and Jason Bay which might have helped keep the price more affordable.  You get a nice timeline of uniforms when looking at the card with the extra bonus of having the awesome pill box hat being worn by Parker.  

Hope everybody is having a good weekend.  Thanks for checking out the card!

1976 Crane Potato Chip Discs

I love finding oddball Pirate items.  Recently I was able to purchase a bunch of 1976 Crane Potato Chip Discs.  Most of them cost a buck or less and the seller combined shipping so it made for a pretty reasonable deal.

 Doc Medich

 Rennie Stennett

 Jerry Reuss

 Al Oliver

 Manny Sanguillen

 John Candelaria

 Dave Parker

 Willie Stargell

Richie Zisk