Liking Lots a Lot

Other than my box breaks with Kevin from Card Papoy and Brian from HSCA, my main way to accumulate trade bait is buying lots off of eBay.  Either a box breaker is getting rid of his Judgeless loot in one mega lot or the seller offers great combined shipping rates.  My latest pickup was of the combined shipping nature.

 I won several non Pirates, but this one was my favorite. Bowman Inception is always a much cheaper way to get a high end prospects autograph or future Game of Thrones actors.

 Polanco cards are dirt cheap right now as he is getting really close to being labeled the dreaded "injury proned" player.  This only cost me $8, which is about half of what it would have been last year.

 This jersey/auto cost me $4. When Polanco was first called up these were in the $30 range.

I always mention how collecting the late 70's Pirates is really cheap.  Players like Madlock, Parker and Al Oliver all sell low.  This Topps Supreme Madlock only set me back $3.

If you are a frequent purchaser on eBay it may be worth your time to check the sellers other listings. Usually I see a Pirate card I like and put a bunch of low ball bids on other auctions.  You may be surprised what you end up with.

Thanks for reading!

More Inception

2014 Bowman Inception Gregory Polanco Patch Auto /15

Quick post today as the combination of long distance work issues and training was enough for me to find the bar this evening. I have quite a few Polanco's from this years Inception. As you can see this has a sweet patch with a star on it. This most likely is from the Futures Game. I really hope Polanco turns out to be a good player as I've taken the plunge on adding his autos this year. 

A Birthday Present Plus an Awaiting Monster

I celebrated my 32nd birthday in October.  For the most part it was quiet as my wife and I went to NYC and did our celebrating a few weeks before. She is treating me to a Penguins game the day before Thanksgiving so that should be fun.

One thing that is constant on my birthday is that my Mom gives me cash. I've tried stopping her a million times before, but she continues every year. One of the caveats with the money is that I spend it on something I want.  She likes to see something in hand that I can say "see Mom here is what you got me." This year I went the card route.

The first three cards were throw ins from a seller on eBay.  This was awesome as I needed all the cards plus the extra bonus of one being the cool burning fire insert. Can't go wrong with free McCutchen's and Polanco's.




Now the main event....

2014 Bowman Inception Triple Patch Auto Polanco/Taillon/Hanson /5

First I wasn't sure if this card would show back up on eBay.  I attempted once to buy this card but it went for an extremely high amount (I think around $140). As luck would have it I got a second chance. This card was mine for $71 delivered. An amazing deal for a really nice looking addition to my Pirates collection. This was such a good deal that it makes my purchase for the dual version featuring Polanco and Hanson look like a huge overpay. I believe it was in the $60 range. This was a nice way to end my eBay binge and begin my organization break. 

To finish things off this is 2 of 3 boxes that Jaybarkerfan's Junk sent me for winning the World Cup of Trading competition. The other box is gigantic as well!  I'm going to use this weekend to get things scanned. You are a maniac my friend.  I love it!

Thanks for reading!

A Fancy New Addition

2014 Bowman Inception Gregory Polanco/Alen Hanson Dual Patch Auto /15

This card has been tempting me since it was released several months back.  I've seen a handful on eBay and the prices have been high. Thankfully a few weeks back one went off at a much more reasonable price and I won the auction.  The two nice patches make the card.  

Gregory Polanco cards have seen a pretty big dip in price the last two months.  In reality they could really only go down.  After his debut in June his cards were so expensive I wouldn't even track them. He was pretty much in the realm of Cubs prospect Kris Bryant and Astros George Springer at the time.  By the time August came around Polanco's bat cooled and he lost most of his playing time to Travis Snider.  He spent a good two months off the radar.  As a result card prices came down to a more manageable amount.  I've picked up 4 or 5 different releases in that time.  

Alen Hanson is a highly regarded middle infield prospect currently at AA Altoona. Hanson is still only 21 years old so the skill set is pretty raw.  Errors have been an issue so most seem to think a move to second base may be in order as he advances in the system.  Either way it looks like the bat is progressing well.  The Pirates minor league system is loaded with top notch talent.

Thanks for reading!