Cue Sad Music

/Sara McLachlan plays in the background.....

I really punished myself with this purchase. I'm pretty deep in terms of collecting anything Pirate related that comes out of the Topps Now sets. I made my bed when I purchased cards of Pirate players that participated in the World Baseball Classic.  Guess I felt I was pot committed with the Cutch and Cole

The NOW program is very polarizing in our community, but I look forward to every year.  This year should be fun in that the Pirates could have several top prospects make their MLB debut.  Usually this generates a fun rookie card to chase. Hopefully I won't be buying any more TRADED cards before the season starts. 

On a much happier note I was able to spend a couple hours scanning cards today.  I'm officially caught up on all trade packages that came my way.  If you haven't seen a post featuring cards you sent my way it will be going live sometime this week.

Thanks for reading! 

Cole Mining

It has been a little overwhelming lately with all the new sets coming out.  My main interests have been Fire, Update and Heritage Minors. Being that I really don't care about getting the cards right away I usually just do some searches on eBay to get a gage on pricing. Last week this brought up a pleasant surprise.

When doing a search for "2017 Pirates" on eBay this beauty popped up with a BIN of $19.99. I thought this seemed like a nice deal for a non printing plate 1/1 so I immediately pulled the trigger. The card had only been online a few hours so I'm guessing this was just good timing as I don't think it would have lasted long with the buyer friendly price.

Quick question.....

What have you guys thought of the Fire set? Hoping to pick up a few of the Pirates soon. I like that it is retail only.  Now if we can just get them to make Topps Total again as a retail release!

Thanks for reading.

Hook Line and Sinker

For better or worse I've committed myself to everything Pirate related to the Topps NOW program. As a Pirate collector I've been pretty happy over the course of the two years.  The Pirates have been middle of the road in terms cards produced so the investment has been minimal.  In terms of the actual cards themselves their have been ups and downs, but the overall body of work has still been positive.  My biggest complaints have been some boring photos and the fact they've gotten a little walkoff happy.

Last month the NOW program went all in on the Players Weekend.  They produced a set for every team featuring five players chosen nickname.  It was a guaranteed purchase for me.

 I was kind of hoping to see a Felipe "Nightmare" Rivero, but overall it was a nice selection of players. The Bell makes for a unique rookie card so that was pretty cool.  Cards like these is what I like about the NOW program. 

Thanks for reading!

Prelude

I recently completed my first ever trade with Brian from the Cutch-centric blog Collecting Cutch. It was a BIG trade.  He has already discussed the five cards I sent his way. 

You probably remember Brian's old blog, Pirates Treasure Room.    Around the beginning of the year he decided to refocus his collection to where the majority of his effort would be devoted to Cutch. This opened to door for Brian and I to do some trading.  

While obviously I like to collect the Pirate star myself, I'm by no means a super collector.  My Cutch collection is relatively large, but it has been dormant in terms of high end autos/relics since he became a bona fide superstar.  I enjoy variety too much to spend big dollars on one player.  I'm sure I can speak for Brian and that we miss the days a Cutch auto would cost  in the $5-10 range.  

A few weeks back Brian sent an email with a list of Cutch cards I owned that he would be interested in trading for. He had six cards in mind and I ended up trading 5.  Because I knew Brian had an awesome Pirates collection I gave him free reign to build the return package.  I was not disappointed.

This post is only showing the Gerrit Cole portion of the trade package.  Brian sent a priority mail box full of great cards that I will showoff over time. He wasn't joking when he said he could give me a years worth of blogging material for the Cutch cards I sent his way. 

If you read my drivel on a somewhat regular basis you know that I love the framed Topps parallels. I found a decent amount of them when they were numbered to /20 and /16.  For some reason Topps decided to make them 1/1's which ultimately stopped my hunt.  Thanks to Brian I now can finally add a 1/1 silver frame to my collection.

This was the WOW card of the return package.  Nice patch, high end set.....this card has it all. 

A very nice /25 auto!

Last but not least is a dual auto from Platinum featuring another very good pitcher in Sonny Gray.  Lots of cool combos from this Bowman Platinum set.

This was such a fun trade Brian.  I'm glad we were able to break the ice.  In the coming months I'll continue to show off some of the cards you sent my way, but I wanted to make sure to show these Cole's right away.

Thanks for reading.

Kiss My Acetate

I'm still trying to scan a billion cards that Bo from Baseball Cards Come to Life sent me last week. Hopefully get that finished tomorrow, but we will see.  Damn scanner is loud and close to were my daughter sleeps.

Gerrit Cole Topps Series 2 Clear Acetate Parallel /10

Do I think too many parallels exist,....yes. With that being said I do have a handful that I seek out every year. For the last couple of years my favorites have been the silver frame and clear acetate cards from flagship. Last year Topps decided to make the silver frames 1/1's instead of numbered to /20 like the previous couple of years. That is a good way to price someone out of a collection. I don't even think they produced the framed cards this year. That leaves me with the acetate cards in flagship.

One odd thing I've noticed about the acetate cards is that I've purchased many via the Buy it Now option. When you put a low numbered card on auction you are always rolling the dice, but in my experience the acetate cards hold their value very well. You seldom see them sell for below $10. The BIN price for this Cole was $15 with free shipping.  That seemed reasonable so I pulled the trigger. 

I often think I'm drawn to these cards because they remind of some crazy 90's early 2000's parallel. While many people were out of collecting at this time, I was going strong and fell in love with cheaper brands like Pacific. You add some lightning bolts and make this a diecut this could easily be a Pacific card.  :)

Thanks for reading! 

Classic Cole

I got six trade packages out today! I've been struggling lately finding time to get some cards in the mail. The good thing is by sending these cards out it forced me to organize my work space which in turn helped me locate some more cards to send! Hopefully I get get back to my early spring trading habits when I was getting double digit packages out at the same time.

2014 Panini Classics Gerrit Cole 1/1 Patch Auto

Not one of my favorite cards in my Cole collection, but it was a good enough deal to add a premium card.  Panini Classics was set that I actually liked, but mainly for the pre war player checklist.  The Pirates were well represented with the likes of Honus Wagner and the Waner brothers to go along with current Buccos like Cole. 

I was disappointed when Panini cut the cord after one year of Classics.  One of the main issues is that it was priced like a premium set and nobody bit. I ended up opening a few boxes when the prices dropped over 50% last year. It seems like Panini should stick to mid tier sets as they seem to struggle with high $ baseball boxes. Off the top of my head only National Treasures has seemed to work over the years. Not too many people want to spend $100+ on no license and stickers.  

I'm hoping that some of these discount boxes show up again as they made a nice bust for my box break with Brian and Kevin. 

Thanks for reading! 

Licensed Panini Baseball

As collectors we are always looking for ways to find the cards we desire at the best price possible. From scouring auctions to hitting card shows/shops, we are always looking for that great deal.  The best case scenario is when the card companies bring the deal to you!

2016 National Treasures Collegiate Gerrit Cole Auto /49

The last couple of years Panini has created a few collegiate oriented sets like Contenders and National Treasures Collegiate.  Both sets are really nice.  The thing is very few people care about college baseball. 

Obviously the big benefit is the licensing.  Photos of guys looking like they are wearing plain pajamas are replaced by bright, vibrant college uniforms such as this Gerrit Cole.  The issue is that this is likely eliminating a good portion of team collectors.  You can find singles of good players for pennies on the dollar.

For collectors like myself this is great.  I classify myself as a Pirates collector but in the loosest of ways. This is a cool card of  a current Pirate and I wanted it.  It only set me back $6. I know I saw several Kyle Schwarber Indiana University autos for much cheaper than the Cubs equivalent. Take a look, you may find something.  

Thanks for reading! 

Freebies

We as a community like to share eBay horror stories all the time. I know I'm guilty of it. Being that I'm such a frequent eBay shopper bad transactions are bound to happen. We've all been there. Stories of non responsive sellers, bad packaging and damaged cards are commonplace.

To change things up I thought I share a cool experience. A seller named chibi_kiara had this National Treasures Gerrit Cole for sale.

2016 National Treasures Gerrit Cole Six Swatch Signatures /10

I ended up winning the card for around $12.  Nice deal for a high end Cole card. The card arrived quickly, and had some nice surprises to go along with the Cole....

Not pictured was a nice stack of common cards to go along with the Onauku auto and Bradley parallel. When I first started eBay the practice of giving freebies seemed a lot more prevalent, but occurrences like this one are few and far between.  I didn't spend a ton of money so the extra cards shocked me.  Big time positive feedback!

Nice to tell a positive eBay story!

Thanks for reading.

Playing the Odds With Multiplayer Autos

Rookie multiplayer autographs are pretty commonplace these days. They are usually high $ cards that garner heavy attention on the secondary market. They are among the most desired cards among the "sick hitz" crowd and case busters. Getting these cards on eBay right after release usually guarantees big bucks for the seller.

In my experience buying these cards around release time is almost a guaranteed waste of money. First you just have the nature of how a prospect develops in baseball. It takes a looooong time to make it to the big leagues. This is especially true for high school players.  At some point during that journey the player is likely going to hit a snag during his development. This usually causes fluctuations in pricing. The Pirates have had some high end prospects over the last 5 years and all of them have hit a lull at some point.

My example above doesn't even take in account that multiplayer autos just enhances the risk for each player added.  Take this card that I just bought off eBay.

2012 Bowman Platinum Triple Auto Bauer/Cole/Hultzen /10

Gerrit Cole, Danny Hultzen and Trevor Bauer were the first three picks in the 2011 draft. I would venture to say this card was $100 + at release time without looking.  That price just had no chance to hold up over time. I paid around $24 a couple weeks back. Hindsight is always 20/20, but when was the last time a drafts first three picks panned out enough that their autos could hold $100 values over the long haul.  The 2010 draft is probably the only hope for this to happen as Harper and Machado can carry Jameson Taillon whether he pans out or not.

Right now Gerrit Cole has blossomed into a good pitcher, Bauer has been inconsistent and Hultzen's career has been marred by injury and command issues in the minors. This card has no chance to regain its value at release time.

I've shown this card several times on the blog, but it may be even a better example.

During the 2010 draft Bryce Harper was considered a once in a generation talent and many scouts called Jameson Taillon the best high school pitching prospect since Josh Beckett. They were the top two picks. I have no idea what this card cost at release time, but I'm sure it was extremely high. It was the kind of card I would have never thought about owning.

In 2014 both Harper and Taillon suffered injuries. I swooped in and bought a card that I normally would have not been able to afford. Right now I'm sure the card has gained back much of its value as Harper got healthy and became one of the best in the game and Taillon made his long awaited debut. It just proves even the highest end cards can have good buying times.

Prospecting is hard enough for just one player. Unless you sell baseball cards for a living it probably serves you best to be patient on the multiplayer cards.

Thanks for reading!

Maybe This Was my First GQ Card

I thought the Cervelli printing plate I posted the other day was my first Gypsy Queen card of 2016. On closer examination I think Julie of a A Cracked Bat fame may have beat me to the punch.  Julie hasn't been blogging because of work obligations, but she is still adding cards to her collection.  From the note she sent me this was one of the hits from her box of GQ...

I don't hide my love for Gerrit Cole.  The Pirates have to lean heavy on the young ace as the rest of the rotation has been inconsistent. Besides Cutch he is probably the most valuable player on the team. He is one of my favorite players to add cards of.

Thanks for thinking of me Julie. This is was such a cool surprise.  I hope work settles down soon for you! I'll be sure to hook you up with some Astros/Tigers very soon.

Thanks for reading.

Dropkicked Cole

My wife surprised me with tickets to the Dropkick Murphys show tonight in Pittsburgh.  Should be a fun time! Work tomorrow might be difficult.....

Card time!

2013 Bowman Chrome Gerrit Cole /50

In a perfect world I would love to add more Chrome autos and rookies to my collection, but the art of prospecting is something I'll never quite understand. The prices sometimes get so out of hand that I abandon all hope and try to find the Panini Elite or Leaf Trinity equivalent. I have no brand loyalty.

With that being said I do sometimes luck into cards. Gerrit Cole had a little lull in his prices at a few points in his minor league career so I was able to snag up most of his base autos and a couple refractors. That method seems to suit me best for high end rookie autos.  Sure you will get burnt by the likes of guys like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper for not acting early, but more times than not you will find a point when prices calm to a more comfortable amount. 

Recently Cole's base gold parallel popped up. I was a little late to this party as I probably could have got this card more in the $10-13 range towards the end of last season.  This one cost me around $18. Not a great deal by any means, but I suspect if Cole continues to have success that the amount spent will look okay by the end of this season. At least it is not $300 for the /10 base parallel or something of that sorts. 

As a fun exercise check out completed auctions for bowman chrome baseball.  Yikes! I saw a Trout sale for more than 15k. 

Thanks for reading!

Spotlight Stealers

I've been much more proactive trying to locate cards I want out of this years Update. Usually I let the market cool off, but the checklist was very appealing so I wanted to see if I could snag a few of the rarer cards.  The good thing is most of the desired cards are from the more obscure bench/reliever type of players like the Arquimedes Caminero and Joe Blanton that I showed off last week. Plates for these guys usually fall around the $10 range.

Now with that being said I knew if certain cards popped up on eBay I would most likely overpay to acquire.  Such as this one.....

2015 Update A.J. Burnett Yellow Printing Plate

Over the years I haven't made it a point to chase plates for more established players. The ones that are in my collection are more of the Joe Blanton types than Andrew McCutchen. My usual thought process is I would rather have an auto of said player than a plate. It's not that I don't enjoy them, but their is only so much money to spread around. 

A.J. Burnett is kind of a unique case, but I was torn on whether I wanted to chase this card. He kind of fits the mold of a Joe Blanton in the sense that he doesn't have a certified Pirates auto. Cards like printing plates are about as high end as your going to get. The reason I was torn is that I'm not the biggest A.J. Burnett fan.  He was very good for the Pirates, but something about him just leaves something to be desired. I'm sure most Yankee fans agree....

For me the deciding factor is subject matter. I love that the background is PNC park and that it features two of my favorites in Gerrit Cole and Cutch. Just like antiques, subject matter can drive a the price a little higher than normal. This card ran me about $25 shipped. In the grand scheme of things not too bad, but much more than I'm use to spending on printing plates. 

By the way if you noticed I try to always type out the price I spend on cards. Kind of a virtual check and balance in my head to keep me from overpaying. 

Here is the base card of the Burnett for a more colorful reference.

Thanks for reading! 

Also, if you like free cards enter my contest.

Our Guy is Good Too

The Pirates and Cubs are set to square off tonight with both teams able to throw their best arms. Most of the build up for this game is centered around how Jake Arrieta has been lights out since the All Star break and that the Pirates have an uphill battle. The Pirates have already faced Arrieta a couple times in the past month and he was dominant. It is not the most pleasant scenario to be in, but this makes the third time we've played the Wild Card game in three years. I don't put much stock in playoff experience, but the facing a great pitcher in a one and done scenario is nothing new. We faced Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner the last two seasons. If you like narrative, Cueto owned us his whole career and we were able to find a way.

As a Pirate fan my main hope is that our offense can put enough pressure on Arrieta to force Joe Maddon into tough decisions like I posed here. Most people commented that they would let the pitcher hit in these high leverage situations, but the Pirates and the Cubs are two of the more forward thinking teams out there. Plus, Joe Maddon has a tendency to do some outside the box type of moves. He once used 9 pitchers in a playoff game.

The other side of the coin is that Gerrit Cole is pitching for the Pirates and he is really good. While he is a notch below the big three of Kershaw, Grienke and Arrieta he is right there with the next wave. The Pirates got stuck having to pitch Cole before the wild card last year, but this year it was planned out that no matter what he will be available. I'm guessing the Cubs might be a small favorite, but essentially it will probably play as a coin flip.

My prediction is that one of the managers will be forced to remove their starter much earlier than expected to take advantage of a good offensive situation. Hopefully it is the Cubs! If we can get Arrieta out of the game in the 5th or 6th I like our chances.

2014 Topps Tribute Gerrit Cole Jersey /10

Surprisingly Cole cards haven't really taken off the way I thought they would. Whatever the reason it has allowed me to pick up some nice cards for low prices. This card cost around $10 shipped.

Let's Go Bucs

Primary Pieces

Gerrit Cole was always a good value buy his first couple years in professional ball. This usually doesn't happen for the number 1 overall pick, but for whatever reason prices stayed down.  I made a point to pick up just about everything that came out minus the low numbered Bowman Chrome cards (prospectors are crazy).

This year Cole has taken a huge step forward. At the beginning of the year most "experts" agreed that if the Pirates were going to contend again, Cole would have to become an ace. Thankfully he has taken the next step and the Pirates are poised once again to make a playoff push.

With this new found success comes higher prices on eBay. You can still find some deals, but for the most part his prices have doubled since the beginning of the season. In the grand scheme of things the prices are not outrageous, but with some continued success I may have to retire collecting Cole just as I did with McCutchen.

2014 Topps Museum Collection Primary Pieces /25

This is a fancy looking card. Thankfully this one stayed below $10 and I was able to cut some shipping by finding some good trade bait cards from the same seller. I don't chase jersey and patches as much as I use to, but some still catch my eye like this one. Cole will really have to step up his game even more now that AJ Burnett may miss the rest of the season. 

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!

Top Play and a Great Deal

I went to the WVU baseball game against Pitt last night. The Mountaineers took the loss, but we made the top play on SportsCenter.

That was quite the catch!

Views from my seat. 

It was a beautiful night for a game. Perfect temps and a nice crowd of over 3,000. That number is pretty impressive as the spring semester ended last week so many students have went home for summer vacation. The new stadium seems to be a hit. In about a month the Black Bears will begin play!

Now for a new card!

2014 Immaculate Collection Cole/Ryu Dual Patch /10

One of these popped up last month in which I proceeded to be outbid at the last second. I was pissed because the final selling price was around $13 which seemed like a pretty good deal considering the rarity and the set. Losing the card proved to be a blessing as the one pictured sold for a whopping $4.25!

I went back to try and see if the card was listed poorly, but other than not mentioning "patches" it seemed like a decent description. In the long run if you buy enough cards off of eBay, you are bound to have some fall in your lap. 

On a side note every time I see Ryu I automatically think of Street Fighter.

HADOUKEN!

He should yell that when he pitches. 

Thanks for reading!

Rain Rain Go Away

I was all set to take a blogging day off, but the Pirates game is on a rain delay so I figured I might as well utilize my time.

2013 Panini Fall Heroes Gerrit Cole Auto /10

When I purchased this card in early 2014 I really had no idea about Panini Fall Heroes. All I knew was that it was a low numbered encased Gerrit Cole for a good price. Once the card was in hand I found out that Fall Heroes was a promotional set in which you received one pack if you took advantage of a combo box deal off of Panini's website.  The kicker was that it really wasn't that great of deal. Actually it looks awful now.

Option 1: 1 Box of 2013 Cooperstown Baseball + 1 Box of 2013 Prizm Baseball = $196.00

Option 2: 1 Box of 2013 Pinnacle Baseball + 1 Box of 2013 Prizm Baseball = $172.00

I think you could score Prizm for around 45 dollars now.....

2013 Panini Fall Heroes MLBPA Private Signings Print Run Listed Below
AM Andrew McCutchen #/10 BG Bob Gibson #/5 BL Barry Larkin #/10 BP Buster Posey #/5 BR Brooks Robinson #/5 BW Bernie Williams #/10 CCS C.C. Sabathia #/10 CJ Chipper Jones #/2 CK Clayton Kershaw #/5 DE Dennis Eckersley #/10 DG Dwight Gooden #/5 DG Dwight Gooden #/5 DJ David Justice #/10 DL Don Larsen #/10 DO David Ortiz #/10 DP Dustin Pedroia #/10 DW Dave Winfield #/1 EB Ernie Banks #/2 EM Edgar Martinez #/10 FL Fred Lynn #/10 FR Frank Robinson #/5 GB George Brett #/2 GC Joe Carter #/4 GM Greg Maddux #/2 GS Gary Sheffield #/5 IR Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez #/10 JB Johnny Bench #/2 JD Johnny Damon #/3 JD Johnny Damon #/3 JG Joe Girardi #/10	JH Josh Hamilton #/5 JM Jack Morris #/10 JM Joe Morgan #/2 JM Juan Marichal #/3 JN Joe Nathan #/10 JR Jim Rice #/5 JS John Smoltz #/10 KG Kirk Gibson #/2 MR Mariano Rivera #/10 MS Mike Schmidt #/3 NR Nolan Ryan #/1 NR Nolan Ryan #/1 OH Orel Hershiser #/10 OS Ozzie Smith #/10 PK Paul Konerko #/10 PN Phil Niekro #/3 PR Pete Rose #/5 PR Pete Rose #/5 PS Pablo Sandoval #/3 RA Roberto Alomar #/3 RC Ron Cey #/5 RC Roger Clemens #/5 RF Rollie Fingers #/5 RH Rickey Henderson #/5 RJ Randy Johnson #/2 SG Steve Garvey #/10 SS Stephen Strasburg #/2 TM Tino Martinez #/8 WC Will Clark #/5
2013 Panini Fall Heroes Rookie Autographs Print Run Listed Below
Fall Heroes Rookies on eBay
MW Michael Wacha #/10 MM Manny Machado #/2 DR Darin Ruf #/10 TC Tony Cingrani #/10 TS Tyler Skaggs #/10 WM Wil Myers #/10 EG Evan Gattis #/2 JF Jurickson Profar #/10 SM Shelby Miller #/10 AG Avisail Garcia #/5	MZ Mike Zunino #/2 SG Sonny Gray #/5 BH Brock Holt #/10 DL  David Lough #/10 DG Didi Gregorius #/10 NF Nick Franklin #/10 AR Anthony Rendon #/10 CY Christian Yelich #/10 GC Gerrit Cole #/10

As you can see their are some big names but your best bet as usual is to hit up eBay. 

Let's hope Gerrit Cole pitches a good game tonight. He is the key to the Pirates taking the next step this year. If he reaches his potential the Pirates will finally have the ace they have been looking for.

Let's Go Bucs!

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.

You Can Still Find a Deal

Before I started blogging I would purchase most cards through eBay. Since I live in an area that doesn't have a card shop it really is the only economical way of adding to my collection. As time passed the process was starting to become boring. It seemed like I was only searching for cards out of habit and not getting total enjoyment out of my collection.  When the card arrived their was some excitement, but it was short lived and the card was filed away.

This was one of the major factors into starting up Bob Walk the Plank. My collecting needed an adrenaline shot. Now I have a way to talk about a cool card I picked up or discuss a trade. I really craved the interaction and love hearing from other collectors. The blog even facilitated a couple of my friends to reenter the hobby. The same friends that I get together once a month to open a box.

With all that being said I still utilize eBay, but now have a way I can share this gem.

2014 Panini Classics Gerrit Cole Auto Patch /10

This card was not easy to find within my normal search parameters. For one the seller listed it as "Gerrie Cole" which helped keep the price low. Also, the fact that the seller was from Taiwan probably scared some people off. After it was all said and done I won the auction for $15. A nice deal for a patch auto out of a high end set. If you haven't looked, go and check out the checklist from this set. Lots of interesting combinations.

Thanks for reading!

Box Break: 2013 Heritage High Number (major pc hit)

I guess you really can't call this a box break as the only thing in question is the one random auto inserted to each set.  What drew me to this set is that it included several Pirates, and the autograph list is strong. The nice Black Friday price was the final push I needed.  I'm glad I pulled the trigger.  Here is my auto....

Needless to say I was pumped when I saw this. The red autos are numbered to 10 and hold significant value. I would venture to say this is the best Pirate I've ever pulled.  I'm guessing this redemption will be filled as Cole signed a ton of cards last year as just about every Topps release had him in as a redemption. Looking forward to getting this card in hand.

I'm heading to the WVU game tonight.  I'll be back tomorrow to post the results of the Donruss boxes. 

Thanks for reading!