Tuesday, July 26, 2011

2010 Panini Gridiron Gear - 3 Packs

Well with the NFL Lockout coming to an end yesterday, I decided to bring you three packs of 2010 Panini Gridiron Gear. I picked these cards up not knowing anything about them, but that's the chance you have to take sometimes. It also seems to me that Peyton Manning is Panini's Cover Boy. Seems every pack I look at of Panini now has Peyton on it. These packs have 10 cards in a pack and of course no select odds for inserts, just "randomly placed throughout the product."

Pack #1 from top to bottom:
#70 Dwayne Bowe
#27 Julius Peppers
#73 Thomas Jones
#117 Heath Miller
#139 Josh Freeman
#112 Jeremy Maclin
#155 Antonio Brown *RC*
#50 Aaron Rodgers
#98 Eli Manning
#46 Brandon Pettigrew

Pack #2 from top to bottom:
#62 Joseph Addai
#20 Dwayne Jarrett
#67 Maurice Jones-Drew
#136 Mark Clayton
#105 Shonn Greene
#129 Vernon Davis
#248 Trent Williams *RC*
#61 Dallas Clark
#19 DeAngelo Williams
#48 Matthew Stafford

Pack #3 from top to bottom:
#69 Chris Chambers
#26 Jay Cutler
#72 Matt Cassel
#143 Chris Johnson
#116 Ben Roethlisberger
#138 Carnell "Cadillac" Williams
#201 Jeremy Williams *RC*
#40 Miles Austin
#86 Fred Taylor
#32 Terrell Owens

Overall, I'm not too impressed with the three packs. Sure I got some star power cards, but there really doesn't feel to be anything special in these cards. Design is kind of bland and it just seems like Panini took an easy way out with these cards. I grade these three packs a C+ only because of the little star power in there.

And once again, if there ever is a card you see that you would like to own, please let me know and we can set up a deal. Also, no pictures for these packs because I just don't feel like any are worth taking.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Autographs Anyone?

Before I get started today, I just wanted to say that I hope everyone had a great weekend, and hopefully things this week look good for you.

As for today's blog, I bring you the autographed cards I have in my collection. There are only 8 of them right now, but that's because I just started collecting again. Also, I will let it be known that I am a huge New York Mets fan, as well as a huge Texas Rangers fan, which are what these autographed cards are of.

The first card today, is a 2010 Topps T-206 Piedmont Autograph of Daniel Murphy. I purchased this card on eBay for $2.99 and it is book valued at $8. Not the highest priced card, but I really like the way these cards look. Not too mention I have a Neftali Feliz one of these on the way that I got on eBay for $4 and BV on that is $8 as well.


The next card is another Daniel Murphy card. This one is from the 2009 Topps Triple Threads collection and features an autograph as well as 6 pieces of game-used bat placed in the card. This card is also serial numbered 61 of 99. I purchased this one on eBay for $12.51, and BV on it is $25. This is probably my favorite card of my collection too just because of what all it entails.


Up next is a Dillon Gee 2011 Bowman Chrome Autographed Rookie Card. I purchased this card for $3 on eBay and the BV on it goes for $25. I really hope he continues to have a stellar rookie year and a follow up sophomore year in hopes that it might drive the price of the card up a little bit and I can make a little bit of income.


This next card is actually an autographed card where the autograph was acquired in person. It is a Josh Hamilton 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter card with a blue sharpie autograph. Even though it didn't come with a COA, I still feel very comfortable that it is actually signed by him as I have an autographed ball and 8x10 photo that are legit. And, I only paid $8 including shipping.


Next is one of my favorite Mets players, Ike Davis and it is a 2010 Topps Chrome Autograph Rookie Card. I purchased this card on eBay as well for $8 and the BV on it is $20. Unfortunately he's been hurt this year, which is one reason I believe I was able to get this card for such a steal right now. With all these prospects and young players the Mets have, I really expect them to be contenders in a few years.


This next card is a dual autograph of David Murphy, who is on Texas right now, but this picture is when he was on Boston, and then Mitch Maier of the Kansas City Royals. It is a 2007 Topps Co-Signers and BV on it is $10. I only paid $2.95, so I am happy with the purchase.


Next is a Texas Rangers prospect in A ball, Jake Skole. Skole was selected in the 2010 Amateur Draft as the Rangers first round pick and so far this year, he is batting .281 with 4 HR in 89 games. Not a power hitter, but from the looks of things, will be a solid all around hitter in the future. I got this card on eBay for $1.99 and the BV on it is $10. The card is a 2010 Bowman Sterling.


And last, but not least, I bring you a 2010 Bowman Chrome Autograph Rookie Card of New York Mets catch Josh Thole. Thole has pretty much proven himself as catcher this year, and looks to be the future at backstop for the Mets. I got this card on eBay for $2.99 and the BV on it is $10.


So all in all, I am pretty happy with my autographed card collection. They might not be the biggest named players or be worth tons of money, but they are players that I like and are on my favorite teams. I look forward to purchasing more in the near future as well. As far as displaying these cards, I purchased some glass framed black 12" x 12" shadow boxes from Target for $9.99. I then use a strong double sided tape to keep the cards in place.

Friday, July 22, 2011

2010 Panini Classics - 2 Packs


So earlier today I brought you two packs of the 2011 Panini Prestige, and now I bring you two packs of the 2010 version of Classics, in which I also bought four packs. I found these after the 2011 version because they were hidden behind some UFC cards on a middle rack, so I pulled them out, and just reached in and grabbed the packs. One of them felt thick, so maybe I can hit something like the Mardy Gilyard jersey card earlier, but not getting my hopes up. Also, like the 2011 version, there are many insert cards and they don't give any odds on what you will find in packs/boxes/cases. Anyways, let's get into the dig!

Pack #1 from top to bottom:
#53 Davone Bess
#11 Lee Evans
#34 Nate Burleson
#28 Tony Romo
#85 Vernon Davis

Pack #2 from top to bottom:
#13 DeAngelo Williams
#70 Darren McFadden
#27 Miles Austin
#42 Peyton Manning
#99 Clinton Portis

Well, my assumption was right. Pack #2 had the thick decoy card in it, so no hit, but it did have some good star power to the pack. Just like the 2011 Prestige cards, the 2010 Classic cards have a sweet design on them with some sweet action shots as well. Hopefully there will be something in two of the other packs I picked up when I get around to opening them.

2011 Prestige - 2 Packs

So today I bring you pulls from two of the four packs of 2011 Prestige NFL cards I purchased. This was the first time I had ever seen these cards (remember, I just recently started collecting again). Reason for picking these cards up was the crisp design on the wrapper, and to try something new. So I took the top two packs off the right side and then two middle packs from the left side. Looking at the odds on these cards, they don't give you a sure selection on what kind of insert card you may get based on odds. All it says is that they are randomly inserted and Panini guarantees nothing in packs, boxes, or cases, just that they are randomly inserted across the entire product line. It also appears that there are 14 different insert sub-sets, which means lots of collecting for anyone trying to complete the set. After opening the product, I was very pleased with the way the cards look. A very cool silver/grey along the borders, and a white name on a black name bar, no team colors or anything. So without further ado, lets see how I did. And oh yeah, 10 cards per pack for $2.99.

Pack 1 from top to bottom:
#70 Aaron Rodgers
#27 Mike Goodson
#51 DeMarcus Ware
#77 Andre Johnson
#108 Adrian Peterson (Orange Xtra Points)
#275 Phil Taylor *RC*
#165 Philip Rivers
#123 Lance Moore
#170 Patrick Willis
#127 Robert Meachem

Pack 2 from top to bottom:
#14 Haloti Ngata
#71 Charles Woodson
#28 Jimmy Clausen
#85 Dwight Freeny
#43 Jermaine Gresham
#29 Mardy Gilyard (Rookie Review GU JERSEY!)
#216 Cameron Jordan *RC*
#168 Josh Morgan
#125 Pierre Thomas
#144 Louis Murphy
#190 Bo Scaife

Well it turns out that even though Pack #1 had the bigger named stars, and an Adrian Peterson Xtra Points insert card, I think Pack #2 hit it better with the Mardy Gilyard Game Used Jersey card. Gilyard is going to be one to keep an eye out over the next few years. Was awesome on the kick returns for the Rams, and with Bradford having a year under his belt now, I predict Gilyard could have a big year if he can stay healthy. Overall on both packs though, I am very pleased. Good named players, however, a little sad I didn't land any New York Giants players as they've been my team since I first saw them play in 1990 at the age of 5. Also it appears that in these cards, they try to get the unskilled pack searcher as the first pack I had opened had a big decoy card in it.

And always remember, whatever I pull is always for sale unless it is New York Mets, Texas Rangers, New York Giants, and New York Rangers as those are the teams I collect.

   
Card is not messed up, that is the light reflection on the top part of the card.



Thursday, July 21, 2011

2010 Topps 206 — 2 Packs


So today I ran over to Target and picked up a couple packs of 2010 Topps 206, because personally, I love the way the cards look. They have a nice, old timey feel to them as if they were painted onto the card. This set has many different insert sub-sets to look for, and even though I know how to pack search, it's not something I really enjoy doing, nor want to waste my time doing. Because lets face it, we buy the packs because it's the thrill of finding a special card. If every time we bought a pack of cards, we knew there was a special card in there, don't you think that'd definitely take the fun out of it? My point exactly =D

Anywho, these packs are $2.99/ea and contain 6 cards per pack and can be found at Target and your local card store. I'm sure there are other places to buy these, but these have been the only places I've seen them. Now onto the cards picked up.

Pack 1 from the top of the pack to the bottom:
#73 Dustin Pedroia
#71 Paul Maholm (Piedmont Mini)
#246 Raul Ibanez (Bronze)
#183 Carlos Pena
#209 Torii Hunter
#240 Casey McGehee

Pack 2 from the top of the pack to the bottom:
#20 Mark Derosa
#245 Chien Ming Wang (American Caramel Mini)
#293 Jeff Niemann (Bronze)
#171 Ian Desmond *RC*
#77 Scott Sizemore *RC*
#108 Alexi Ramirez

Overall, I got a few decent cards out of these packs. The two mini cards are very cool looking, and I like the plain, subtle photo on the Carlos Pena card. Also scored two decent rookie cards in Desmond and Sizemore. If you are a collector of a certain team or player and I pulled one you would like, please contact me so I can help you out. My prices are very reasonable and won't charge you outrageous shipping.

Normal: Scott Sizemore, Ian Desmond, Dustin Pedroia, Carlos Pena
Minis: Chien Ming Wang, Paul Maholm

The New "Old" Collector

As a kid that enjoyed professional sports, I would always venture out to the local card stores and buy tons and tons of cards, hoping I would land those of my favorite players and teams. Whatever allowance I had, it went right out the window into card collecting. As my interest grew, I started attending card shows where I would try and wheel and deal my way to better, more popular cards. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. All I know is that it was something I enjoyed doing...Then I turned into a teenager.

After turning 13-14 years old (Around 1998-1999), I really didn't care about the sports cards anymore. I wanted video games and music albums. So my cards just started sitting and sitting, and over that time, losing value. I remember when people would drop $20 right on the spot for a Shaquile O'Neal rookie card, and now, you can get a lot of 20 of them on eBay for less than $10. And since I really didn't have the heart of collecting anymore, I pretty much just gave them away, and yes, even threw some away, and then sold off everything left of my old stepdad's collection, for $50.

It took me up until last year, 2010, before I got interested again. At the time, I only purchased some 2010 Topps, just to kind of ease myself back into collecting. And within the first few packs I bought, I landed an Alex Rodriguez Pie in the Face card, that I turned around and sold on eBay for $75 (Book Value = $100). I'm not sure what kind of money I could have gotten in a few years, but, I didn't want to take the chance like I did when I was younger. So with that $75, I wanted to buy a box of 2010 Topps in hopes of landing my first ever Game Used or Autograph card. Opening the packs, I eventually landed a Felix Hernandez Peak Performance Game Used Jersey card (BV=$8). Not worth much, but, it started a new way of collecting for me. I would venture out and buy a few Josh Hamilton Game Used Jersey cards before I decided to lay low for the rest of the 2010 season.

Then about a month later, the fire started burning on wanting to collect Autographed cards. Since I didn't want a lot of base cards, I hit up eBay and started bidding on Autographed cards. Then, after thinking about it, I thought it would be fun to buy a few packs here and there, and post on here what I got each time, which is why I started this blog. And that's where we are today. I have a nice little collection of Autographed Cards that I will be writing about, and then I will be talking about packs and boxes I buy and what's in them.