Expired Plate

Printing plates are the easiest "1 of 1" cards to find. They make for a unique collectible without breaking the bank.  My rule on plates is to try not to spend more than $10 on any single one. If I do buy them more times than not is either short stay Buccos or guys that don't get the auto/relic treatment.  So while I'll happily take the likes of Gerrit Cole and Starling Marte in trade, my purchases are more focused on the guys like Sean Casey and John Jaso.

My most recent purchase of a plate was a era you don't see as much on the secondary market.  90's Plates!!!!!!

1998 Topps Stadium Club Francisco Cordova Printing Plate (Black)

I think this is only my second or third plate from the 90's and they are all Francisco Cordova. I had to take a picture on my phone of the front of the card because the scan looked invisible. Interesting to see how plates have evolved over time.  This one is much more flimsy and thin than more recent plates. 

Obviously these are not the most attractive cards to add to your collection, but they make up for it in uniqueness. My excitement was a little higher with this one just because of the era. I've been putting a lot of emphasis adding players like Cordova.  Now I need to find an Al Martin from this period. Mission accepted! 

Thanks for reading. 

Friday Super Rave

Friday Rave!

Friday Super Rave

1998 Skybox Thunder Super Rave Francisco Cordova /25

So I paid around $15 for this card.  If you are not familiar with this parallel you might be thinking holy crap that is a lot of money to pay for an obscure Pirate. In actuality that is pretty much market rate. Not long ago I saw a Chuck Finley sell for $70 and an Edgard Alfonso for about $20. These cards are hard to get and when they hit eBay they usually go for good money. Star players like Maddux and Randy Johnson will sell for over $100. 

If you watch a decent amount of eBay auctions you will definitely see a trend of mid 90's/early 2000's inserts and parallels going off at higher prices. These were cards that were largely ignored for the longest time, but player and set collectors are going back to complete holes in their collections. Take a look at this auction for a Pacific Cramer's Choice card. If you collected during this time it might be worth your time to take a look through some old boxes. You might be sitting on some high end cardboard without even knowing. 

Enjoy the weekend!