Short Walk

The Pirates are a couple years removed from having Neil Walker on the active roster. Supposedly the Bucs had made an offer to keep him around, but the two sides could never come to terms. Kind of weird that Walker had to settle for so little this offseason, but I'm sure the Yankees didn't mind. Hard to believe that more teams weren't interested at one year 4 million.  While never the most durable he has been crazy consistent over the past 7 years.  2-3 WAR players don't grow on trees. 

2013 Topps Mini Neil Walker 1/1

I don't actively search for Walker cards these days.  My collection has most of the rookies and key autographs. Most of my needs are parallels which I don't actively chase. 

The card above sort of just fell into my lap. I was searching around for some trade bait and discovered a seller that was auctioning off a bunch numbered Topps mini cards. Turns out he had a 1/1 Platinum Walker.  For $10.50 I was able to add it to my collection. While nothing special looks wise it is always fun to add a rare card for a good price. 

Thanks for reading. 

Fading Away

2004 SP Prospects Jason Kendall/Neil Walker Dual Auto /100

The seller of this card classified it as NM which I would agree the card itself is in nice condition.  What the seller didn't say was that the Kendall auto was beginning to fade. It was obvious from the picture in the eBay description so I limited my high bid to $5. While it irked me a little that the seller made no mention, the selling price of $4 seemed more than reasonable for the card. 

I have several card cards from this set as SP went crazy featuring high draft picks with just anyone they had a sticker of. 

For every higher end card like the one above, you would find about 30 featuring players that never made it to the Majors.  In some ways I kind of like those, because I always end up spending a few minutes researching the player to see where they wound up. 

Thanks for reading! 

Oddballs From Mars

Mars National Bank that is.....

Thanks to Brian from Collecting Cutch I'm now the proud owner of a very unique Neil Walker set. It seems that Mars National Bank teamed up with the Pittsburgh native and former Bucco to promote the local bank with a set of 4 cards. Always super pumped to add some unique local oddballs. 

While maybe not as prevalent, you can still find some hidden gems. 

Looks to be a shot from Neil's high school days. 

Some Spring Training goodness. 

 Interesting way to get around the licensing.....

 Here Walker is showing off the classic Little League pose.

How about the backs.....

Each have a fact about Neil and then some not so subtle reasons on why you should bank at Mars.

Seriously, how great are these? Thanks so much Brian for sending them my way. More banks need to do this. 

Thanks for reading.

Brewing Up a Walker

2011 Topps Triple Threads Neil Walker Patch/Auto 1/1

A recently acquired Neil Walker card from a six year old set became topical again! The former Pirate who grew up in Pittsburgh (announcers will remind you at least 78 times during broadcast) recently was traded from the Mets to the Brewers. The Pittsburgh media overrated him a good bit, but he was/is a very good offensive second baseman when healthy. I suspect he will be a nice pickup for the Brewers who essentially just took on the remaining portion of his salary.  The Pirates are playing the Brew Crew this afternoon. 

As for the card itself this was a nice find. For anyone who collects Pirate cards, 2011 Triple Threads was a big deal.  It was one of the first high end sets to feature some of the "other guys" not named McCutchen.  It featured the likes of Walker, Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez and Garrett Jones. It was and still is one of my favorite sets to buy because of all the variety. 

Triple Threads is one of the rare sets that I actually like the regular jersey/patch cards better than the autos. The sticker seems to be more of an eye sore than usual on this one. Having the placement right on the torso is less than ideal.  With that being said I still highly desired the card because it adds a nice finishing touch to all the Walker's I own from this set. 

Thanks for reading! 

Cheap Treasures

Panini National Treasures is one of my favorite sets every year. For whatever reason I can always find great deals on some high end cards. Yesterday I featured a nice new Gerrit Cole auto /10 for a shade over $12. Today is a guy I was really surprised to find in the set as a Pirate.

2016 National Treasures Colossal Neil Walker /25

When I initially looked at the checklist I just assumed Walker would be featured as a Met. Needless to say I was happy when this popped up in a search. What made this even better was it only cost a little over $5.  

I hope some of you are moderately interested in this set as I picked up a few nice cards as trade bait too.....

Thanks for reading. 

Walked Right Into it

Neil Walker was a steady contributor during his Pirates tenure.  Essentially the perfect type of player to surround guys like Cutch and Marte.  My only issue with him was that he was from Pittsburgh. I shit you not it was mentioned 3 million times a season.  My friends and I would just text each during random conversations "hey did you know Neil Walker was from Pittsburgh." I need to ask Brian if they do the same thing with Joe Mauer in Minneapolis. 

Let's get back on track. As for my Walker collection it is probably one of the more complete in my Pirates collection.  When he first broke through in the big leagues he had a bunch of autos and then for whatever reason companies stopped producing autos and relics of him.  This allowed me to go back and find many of the holes in my collection. 

Even though Walker s now a Met, I still actively search for cards. Last month I secured a big one. 

2010 Bowman Red Paper Neil Walker 1/1

Normally 1/1's  from Bowman of established major leaguers are just too expensive to chase, but this card had a noticeable mark in the top left. Right when I saw the card I put a high bid of $40 right after it went live and it held up to the end. The final price was $38.  So this is by far the most I've ever spent on a Walker card, but it is now the centerpiece of the collection. 

Did you know he was from Pittsburgh?  

Thanks for reading! 

Blink and You'll Miss

I make it habit to scan checklists when a new set drops on Cardboard Connection.  Mainly I'm looking for Pirates that are just starting to get some cardboard love both in base sets and hits.  Don't get me wrong I love the likes of Cutch, Marte and Cole, but odds are they are going to be in every set.

The problem is with so many sets dropping over the course of the year I tend to miss items that I had no idea existed.  Take this card for instance.

2015 Panini Elite Neil Walker Patch /25

Neil Walker was one of the more notable Pirates during the franchises turnaround.  When he first established himself as an everyday player he got plenty of cards in a variety of sets. For whatever reason his last couple of years as a Pirate most "hit' oriented cards dried up.  So much so that I stopped looking.  Well, when scouring eBay this card popped up.  

Nothing that notable about this card, but it was new to me.  For around $7 I was happy to add this card to my collection. Not a bad price since the patches were so hard to pull from these sets. Extra bonus for the three colors. 

Have a good weekend! 

Rounding Things Out

It is always kind of weird to see a long tenured player move on. Such was the case with Neil Walker. I'm a team collector so when a guy moves on that puts a stop to that collection. Now I can focus on finding some cards that I missed over the years.

Like this one.....

2004 Donruss Elite Neil Walker Status /10

My auto/relic collection of Neil is fairly complete so most of my needs are parallels. I was happy to see this card pop up as I have a few variations of this card, but this now becomes the rarest. The extra bonus was that it only cost a shade below $10. Walker cards have a tendency to have some weird price fluctuations. This card could sell for $5 one day and easily go for $25 the next.  My only guess is that he has a few active supercollectors. 

It will be weird seeing Walker in a Mets uniform next year, but the writing was on the wall. He was entering his last year of arbitration and the Pirates didn't seem too interested in a long term pact. He would be 31 by the time a new deal would start so I'm guessing the Pirates probably think they have already got the best years. 

Thanks for reading! 

Shocker.....2016 Topps

I don't really have anything earth shattering to say about 2016 Topps.  I'm a lot more liberal in my card collecting ventures. Very few sets exist that I loathe and very few exist that I'm shouting on rooftops confessing my love.  Like most sets 2016 falls somewhere in between that scale.

The first thing that catches my eye about a new product is the checklist. If I see a new Pirate in the set that usually gets my attention. It doesn't matter if it is unlicensed release or a Topps card. From there I'll explore a set for more ascetically pleasing cards of the more established Pirates.

I knew Series 1 was pretty light on new Pirates so I decided to pass on box breaks. Like last year I knew I wanted to grab a couple new silver frames with Neil Walker and Francisco Cervelli being at the top of the list.

For some reason Topps decided to make the silver frames even more rare this year lowering the number produced from 20 to 16. Early on prices are reflecting that. Just last night a Cutch version went off for $90......Yikes!

2016 Topps Silver Frame Neil Walker /16

The last couple of years Walker didn't get much love from the card companies so parallels of base cards were the only chase cards on the market. Also, being that Walker is from Pittsburgh he has a decent amount of collectors chasing his stuff.  This causes card prices to shoot up. 

Last year I watched the 2015 versions sell consistently in the $30-40 range. I snagged mine for shade under this threshold. Unlike my post yesterday about the mini parallel  I was happy to pay this amount as it will likely be the last flagship card of the now former Pirate. Plus, I really love the silver frames and have accumulated a nice collection of various Buccos. 

If any of you happen to pull a silver framed Pirate I'm your man! 

Thanks for reading. 

The Little Things

I just got done watching the Pirates/Marlins game. People just do not show up to watch baseball in Florida. Both Miami and Tampa are used as destination road trips for the opposing teams fans. During the game the Pirate fans were much more audible and while outnumbered it wasn't a huge difference. Either way it was nice to take 3 of 4 from the fish.

 2014 Triple Threads Neil Walker Patch /9

I already had this card, but managed to pick up another copy for a good deal last week. Might make good trade bait to one of my Pirate collecting buddies. Walker hasn't had much in the way of new cardboard so his cards seem to go for a little more money these days. 

What made this transaction unique was the seller threw in a pretty nice freebie....

2014 Gypsy Queen Neil Walker Mini /50

Kind of a cool surprise. Maybe it is just me, but it seems like this is something that was pretty common in the early and mid 2000's, I remember on numerous occasions getting a free jersey card or some extra commons. Today a lot of my ordering is done with some of the more established eBay card dealers, so it would difficult to take the time to throw in extras. I guess I need to remember to take time to look outside my normal sellers. 

Like I said in the title, it is the little things that can brighten a day. Yay for free cards! 

Thanks for reading. 

Autograph Evolution (Neil Walker)

This is the second time I've shown how autographs progress over the years. The first installment was Andrew McCutchen which changed quite a bit. Neil doesn't sign near as much as Cutch so the auto stayed a little more consistent. 

The first three autos were signed in the 2004-05 time frame. Not a bad signature as you can make out most of the letters.  Piazza is all over the place. If you are wondering about the combo on the triple auto, Walker was drafted as a catcher in the first round of 2004.

This is where the auto starts to get a little faster and sloppier. The rest of these autos were signed around 2012. You went from being able to make out most of Neil to only getting a the "N" and something resembling an "i". The Walker aspect gets longer than the earlier versions, but you can't make out near as much. Pretty much only the "W" and and "L" are legible. Neil was more established by this time and probably had a lot more autograph obligations.

Neil stayed pretty consistent on the higher end releases. Most are sticker autos so they were most likely signed at the same time.

I'm hoping Neil gets some new autos as he really hasn't had much since 2012. While his signature did get quicker I don't consider it terrible.  On the scale of Wil Myers to the perfect auto I would put Neil somewhere in the middle.

Have a nice weekend.

Up and Down

If you are a frequent purchaser on eBay like myself you become pretty accustomed to price ranges for your favorite players. Usually when a card comes out that I like I'll check completed auctions to get a price range and try to snag it on the bottom half.  For the most part its a system that works pretty well. The only flaw is if you wait too long to pull the trigger and a guy blows up on you like a Mike Trout. With the Pirates only McCutchen has skyrocketed to a point where obtaining an auto will cost you an arm and a leg.  Thankfully his ascension took a few years so I was able to get in early on a lot of his high end issues.

What the Pirates do have are a lot of guys where the prices fluctuate all over the place. The two best examples of this are Neil Walker and Starling Marte. One day you will see a nice card that sold for $5 and the next it will be $15 for no reason. It makes it hard to pull the trigger on a higher end release because part of you is thinking it may not show up again, but if it does it could go for a lot less. You really have to gauge how much you want the card in your collection.

2014 Triple Threads Neil Walker Patch /9

This is one of my most recent eBay purchases of Walker. The seller started the auction at 9.99 which I assumed would get some bidding action at some point. High end set, low numbered and a decent patch usually drives the price high. Long story short I was the only one who made an attempt and won the auction. I really think the only reason I won this card is that he started the bidding high. I've seen similar cards go for closer to the $20 mark. Sellers having weird starting bids is a nice way to obtain cards as it scares away a lot bidders.

In my experiences if you just stick to your guns and have a price in mind at some point you will win the card. Sure, their will be circumstances where thriftiness will cause you to lose out on a desired card, but in the long run you will win more than your fair share by sticking to your budget. Ebay has a way to cycle even the lowest numbered of cards several times. Bid with patience my friends!

Thanks for reading.

Big Additions and Contest Reminder

It has been a while since I've made a big Pirate purchase on eBay.  My main purchases the last couple of months have been trade bait and set needs. Thankfully the blog has kept new cards rolling in via trade.  Well I'm glad to say my cold streak is over as I've added a few beauties to my Neil Walker collection.

 2013 Topps Mini Black Parallel /5

2012 Topps Museum Collection Patch Auto /209

 2012 Topps Museum Collection Book Auto/Patch /10

2012 Topps Museum Collection Momentous Materials Auto /10

One of the most exciting aspects about card collecting is finding a card that has eluded you for an extended period of time.  When the Neil Walker Momentous Materials (bottom scan) hit eBay I knew I was going to try hard and win it.  This is one of Walker's more high end releases in which I've seen 2 get taken away from me at the last second.  Thankfully patience paid off as this issue went significantly cheaper than the last time I tried for the card.  

After placing my bid I noticed that the seller had 3 other high end Walker's for sale.  My interest wasn't as high in the two other autos as I had both in my collection, but I still made a few low ball bids and sure enough I won each auction.  I think I was helped by the fact the auctions ended during the work hours on the east coast.  Either way I was super pumped to add such nice cards to my collection.  

Walker importance to the Pirates is often understated.  To receive so much offensive production from second base is rare in today's game, plus he is a fan favorite as he grew up in Pittsburgh.  My buddy Micah and I often joke when we are talking about the Pirates and Walker being from the Steel City. Root Sports who carries the games mentions this on air at least 20 times a game.  We often send texts to remind each about his Pittsburgh roots just to make sure the other hasn't forgotten.  With that in mind I'm still a huge Walker fan.

To my Pirate friends out there, I would be happy to trade the book auto and the regular issue Museum Collection auto.  Just let me know if you are interested and we can work something out.  

We are near the end of my contest.

Enter here:

http://bobwalktheplank.blogspot.com/2014/09/contest-free-stuff.html

Thanks for reading!

A Nice Mix of Old and New

2004 SP Prospects Dual Auto Johnny Bench/Neil Walker 43/50

Neil Walker was drafted in 2004 as a catcher in case you were wondering of the odd combo.  Walker converted to third base in 2007 and eventually found a home at 2nd base as an everyday player.  It wasn't an easy road to the majors for Neil as his prospect status was beginning to fade by 2010.  Opportunity presented itself through an injury to Aki Iwamura and fortunately for Walker he took advantage.  He has been a mainstay at 2nd and continues to show improvement every year.  He is off to his best offensive start of his career and may be on his way to his first All Star game appearance if he can keep pace.  I'm curious to see what kind of numbers he could put up if he stays healthy the entire season

That Johnny Bench guy turned out ok.....Don't think I need to go in much detail about him. 

I also featured the triple auto version of this card a few months back.  That Piazza guy was good too...

Great Opening Day for Neil Walker

I took off work today to watch the game with my brother and we were treated to quite the pitchers duel. Francisco Liriano and Jeff Samardzija were both on top of their game.  Thankfully the Pirates got the last laugh as Neil Walker hit a walk off homer in the 10th inning to give the Buccos a 1-0 victory.  He is becoming quite the thorn in the Cubs side as he hit a grand slam on opening day in Chicago two years back.

This is a book auto from Museum Collection numbered 5 of 10.  I purchased this card from Ebay last year.

It is good to have baseball back!

Museum Quality

I'm a pretty big fan of Neil Walker.  I've touched on this in a past post.  I own several versions of this card but this one has the nicest patch.  Museum Collection is the perfect set to cherry pick your cards as it is pretty rough on the budget.  I watched a few case breaks and I saw some people get really burned.  I'm always too nervous to spend that kind of money on a box.

Anybody going to open some Heritage.  I don't open new releases as a rule but Heritage is one that always tempts me year after year.  Decent amount of Pirate hits this year too.

Hope everybody has a good weekend.  If anybody feels like trading shoot me a message.  I just came into a bunch of auto and memorabilia cards that is all trade bait.  Shoot me a message and I'll see if I have your team/player.

Neil Walker Great at Nothing Good at Everything

I'm a frequent watcher of the MLB network and one of my favorite offseason features is the top ten at each position.  Last weeks feature was 2nd base, and Neil Walker was 8th.  The rankings are based on past performance/upcoming projections and weighs defense and offense.  My first instinct was that I could name a lot more than 7 second baseman I would rather have than Walker, but that proved to be more difficult than I thought.  He is so average he is good. 

When looking at his numbers you see a good obp with a rising walk rate, decent pop (13-17 homers a year) all while continuing to improve his defense.  Really the only flaw in his game is the ability to stay on the field.  He has had DL stints each of the past two years.  A healthy Walker is vital to the Pirates success as middle infield depth has been a weakness the last couple of years. 

Would Neil Walker be in your top ten? 

Neil Walker was drafted out of high school as a catcher back in 2004.  Pretty cool company on this card.  This is from 2004 SP Prospects and is serial numbered 19/25.