January 2023 - New Arrivals

[Dilferules]

Let's start the new year with a huge team set completion:


T206 Simon Nicholls, batting variation. That completes the 21-card Philadelphia Athletics team set. I picked up my first card from this set at the 2006 National (one of the three Chief Bender variations) so it took me about 16 and a half years, though it was only the last 5 or so I was really trying to actually complete it. An asterisk here as the team set would be considered complete without the extremely Wagner-esque rare Eddie Plank card. I'll never own that one unless I have a winning lotto ticket.


2018 Allen and Ginter Mini Brooklyn Back Piscotty 09/25. 2017 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor auto RC Franklin Barreto 19/50...probably won't ever complete that set as it contains regular and auto Matt Olson RCs that I didn't pick up back in the day. 2003 Topps Chrome X-Fractor Jermaine Dye 44/50, 4 away from that team set. 2007 Sweet Spot Bat Barrel Dan Haren 11/15. And lastly a 2017 Heritage Blue Khris Davis (print run of 50).

 

[madbull34]

Darvish Sapphire



Seiya RC Refractor

 

[BucCollector]

All WBB today. Hope it remains okay to post this here, since there is no traffic in the basketball community...



Some rookies, nothing special but all SN and at bargain basement prices.



HOF autos



And finally, two from the 2006 Rittenhouse Autographs insert set. I am now at 41/58 of these, however 13 of the cards I need are big names (Bird, Catchings, Hammon, Lawson, Swoopes, Taurasi) so it will be a while. Rittenhouse used this same design for auto inserts from 2005 through 2018, with 252 cards in all. I am at 172 (68%).

 

[baberuthfan]

Ginter silk card /10. Goes great with the others from the years - let me know if I am missing any

 

[mrmopar]

All WBB today. Hope it remains okay to post this here, since there is no traffic in the basketball community...

View attachment 344718

Some rookies, nothing special but all SN and at bargain basement prices.

View attachment 344719

HOF autos

View attachment 344720

And finally, two from the 2006 Rittenhouse Autographs insert set. I am now at 41/58 of these, however 13 of the cards I need are big names (Bird, Catchings, Hammon, Lawson, Swoopes, Taurasi) so it will be a while. Rittenhouse used this same design for auto inserts from 2005 through 2018, with 252 cards in all. I am at 172 (68%).

I bought some of the first pinnacle WNBA cards and although I am not a fan of the WNBA by any stretch of the imagination, I am a fan of cards in general. My recent drive t6o backfill NBA HOFers has lead me to track down some of the female HOFer and potential HOFers, so I appreciate your efforts on that set. Wish I would have started sooner.

 

[mrmopar]

Mail didn't arrive yesterday. That is the first time in a very long time that I recall this happening. Have to assume they were massively understaffed. I recall talking to the Postmaster one day, who was delivering on my route because the regular guy was on vacation and she said she had been delivering into the 11PM hour previously because of the shortages! It's a bummer not to get a large pile of packages when they are showing out for delivery and they never deliver, but definitely a first world problem, as they all arrived today (finally).

Good variety to start the year.

Hoffman Montgomery Auto. View attachment 344726

Tekulve Topps Auto and a 78T design, my "rookie" year. View attachment 344727

Lofton. View attachment 344728

Mawae. This one I bought before the one that showed up New Years Eve. This one is /10. View attachment 344729

Bobby Jones. View attachment 344730

Ron Wolf, the other Raiders Executive I needed, besides Al Davis, for my Raider HOF Auto collection. View attachment 344731

Finally another RGI set, series 4. View attachment 344732

 

[mrmopar]

deciding how much I want to continue reporting on the monthly thread. Seems like only a handful of people show anything at all. I'm sure we all enjoy seeing each others new pick-ups, but would like to see a larger variety of participation. Is everyone just moving to facebook groups these days?

I once was trying to keep up in my autograph collecting, all of the award winners and all-stars, dating back to 1933, with a few glaring early exceptions that would cost a fortune, my goal was to get as many as I could find/afford. Like anything, it seemed that the newer players were getting harder to "easily" find at a reasonable rate. Same goes for the rookie cup cards. I stopped actively chasing them, but will realize I am missing a player of some significance and then try to back fill. Salvador Perez was one I had missed and wanted, finally finding one that was decent price range.

Couple other add-ons/impulse buys to feel like the shipping was worthwhile.

Hostetler. Taylor. Glenn . Pair of Tuiasosopo, as his dad was a hawk and he was a Raider, otherwise no reason to collect him.

Speaking of Raiders, they have been my team since I started collecting cards and following sports, but have not been an active follower for years now. I don't follow the players or the team outside of the occasional collecting activity. New players are lost on me. That said, I will still sometimes buy random, cheap Raider autos, like this Quentin Moses/25. Had no clue, but based on the price I won this for, from a frequent repeat business seller, he either is having or already had a non-standout career.

Last item is another series (4) of RGI cards. This is one of the nicer condition sets I have received from this series. Copyright 1981, it wouldn't ssurprise me if these were made into the the 90s, but it's just a statement, I have no idea about production/distribution of these collector issue cards though.

 

[mrmopar]

Almost forgot the BKB. Two AP cards. Pettit and a Greer.

 

[Dilferules]

A few today. 1998 Donruss Signature Preview AJ Hinch, 2010 Topps Update Target Mark Ellis, and 2022 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autograph Refractor Kevin Smith. If you ever spot some of those retro style Target parallels from 2009 (series 2 or update) or 2010 (all series) in a bargain bin it might be worth grabbing them as they can be very difficult to find.

 

[thelesquad]

deciding how much I want to continue reporting on the monthly thread. Seems like only a handful of people show anything at all. I'm sure we all enjoy seeing each others new pick-ups, but would like to see a larger variety of participation. Is everyone just moving to facebook groups these days?

I once was trying to keep up in my autograph collecting, all of the award winners and all-stars, dating back to 1933, with a few glaring early exceptions that would cost a fortune, my goal was to get as many as I could find/afford. Like anything, it seemed that the newer players were getting harder to "easily" find at a reasonable rate. Same goes for the rookie cup cards. I stopped actively chasing them, but will realize I am missing a player of some significance and then try to back fill. Salvador Perez was one I had missed and wanted, finally finding one that was decent price range. View attachment 344739

Couple other add-ons/impulse buys to feel like the shipping was worthwhile. View attachment 344740View attachment 344741

Hostetler. View attachment 344742 Taylor. View attachment 344743 Glenn View attachment 344744. Pair of Tuiasosopo, as his dad was a hawk and he was a Raider, otherwise no reason to collect him. View attachment 344745View attachment 344746

Speaking of Raiders, they have been my team since I started collecting cards and following sports, but have not been an active follower for years now. I don't follow the players or the team outside of the occasional collecting activity. New players are lost on me. That said, I will still sometimes buy random, cheap Raider autos, like this Quentin Moses/25. Had no clue, but based on the price I won this for, from a frequent repeat business seller, he either is having or already had a non-standout career. View attachment 344747

Last item is another series (4) of RGI cards. This is one of the nicer condition sets I have received from this series. Copyright 1981, it wouldn't ssurprise me if these were made into the the 90s, but it's just a statement, I have no idea about production/distribution of these collector issue cards though.View attachment 344748

I enjoy seeing them. I just don't like posting my own on any platform.

 

[Dilferules]

deciding how much I want to continue reporting on the monthly thread. Seems like only a handful of people show anything at all. I'm sure we all enjoy seeing each others new pick-ups, but would like to see a larger variety of participation. Is everyone just moving to facebook groups these days?

I think it's a function of overall traffic on FCB going down. Posting levels seem lower than two or three years ago.

Facebook groups are pretty popular but I'm not way into them because it seems like they inevitably turn into a dingaling-measuring contest with people showing off high-dollar stuff. My pickups usually don't fit in.

 

[WizardofOz1982]

I don't post half of what comes in the door because a lot of it I doubt anyone but myself cares about here. That's the stuff I post in very niche Facebook groups I'm in. Prewar non-sports cigarette cards? There's a group for that. I generally don't post them here.

 

[Dazed]

Post whatever you want. I enjoy seeing the pick ups. I find the collections interesting and I might even learn a thing or two.

 

[Dilferules]

Only one today but it's a big one for my collection:


2006 Topps Update Black 20/55 Frank Thomas/Barry Zito. That's the last of the 4 Thomas A's Topps Black cards I needed and also completes the A's Topps Black run for the decade of the '00s. I still need 9 from the '10s and many from the '20s. The smudge on the top right is on the scanner, the card is actually in really nice shape.

 

[WizardofOz1982]

An R&N ceramic Ozzie variation I didn't know about thanks to @thelesquad

 

[mrmopar]

Earl The Pearl joins the club!

I am not overly present on Social Media in general. I do have a facebook account, but mostly just see what distant friends and relatives are up to. I will post an occasional joke, meme or share pics now and then. I have memberships and post on 2-3 card sites like this. I have a blog that i have updated here and there over the last 10+ years, but I am not consistent at all. I now mostly report Dodger deaths, mainly as a way to keep track myself.

I like the anonymity that sites like these provide. unless you want to be more "out there". Obviously if you trade with someone, your name and address are known to them. The issue for me with facebook is that if you are being truthful in your profile, you are out there and everyone can see it. I am very cautious about posting when I am not home, so most of our vacation photos, updates and check-ins happen AFTER we return home. i also see guys posting huge dollar card collection photos. Here you have given your name, hometown and that you have $1000s in valuables in your residence! maybe I am being a little too paranoid, but I probably don't come close to others, many of whom would never see this because they wouldn't even think of coming online, period!

That said, I will likely continue to post things that are new and interesting to me and hope that the rest of you enjoy them (or scoll on by).

 

[mrmopar]

Forgot about this one too, Eli Manning/50. Man, what a hassle though. Maybe I am just being extra paranoid here, but I seem to be having more and more issues on ebay and my patience is starting to wear thin. Frankly getting tired of slow shippers, poor packagers and the rest of the crap we have to wade through just to collect cards and pay for the privilege of doing it. I'll share my experience on this one. Some people may look at it and think I am being unreasonable, others may agree that it seemed to take a little too long. it's not the end of the world and I got my item as promised, 16 days after it was purchased. It could have been worse in many ways...I am sharing the details simply because I think the seller handled this poorly and knowing my concerns up front, could have really done more to ease my concerns, even a simple message to tell me he couldn't make it to the PO or whatever else. Communication goes a long way!

On 12/21, close to midnight PST I did a BIN on this after checking prices and paid immediately. I would have really liked to get one cheaper, but I like this design and wanted to add him to my collection. The price actually seemed a bit on the cheap end too but the seller had less than 200 FB and a 97.9% rating. I figured the risk now days of loss is low, so I did it Some of you are now thinking..."if it sounds too good to be true...". I messaged the seller after paying, knowing he'd see it the next day at the earliest, said I had read his feedback and was hoping for a positive experience, in so many words. I tried to be as polite as possible, while still calling out some concerns. Specifically, others had called him out for poor packaging and slow shipping. This was my message:

"Bought the Manning auto late last night before heading off to bed. Normally I don't go digging but saw your feedback rating was a bit lower than average (ahead of time) and still decided to buy despite what I read.

I will ask that you please ship the item as soon as possible and that it be securely shipped (team bag, tape or something that prevents the card from possibly slipping out from its protection (top loader, cardboard and/or whatever your norm is), two items that were brought up in feedback.

I don't expect you to drop everything and run to the PO for my item but given that Xmas weekend is upon us, when can I expect this package will go out? Thanks."

He responded the next day, brushed them off as nothing and assured me everything would be fine. He'd try to ship that day, but there was a snowstorm coming (he was in Ohio). It did get pretty bad in our area with snow/ice, so I assume Ohio was much worse. With Christmas approaching, I figured I was probably not going to see this card by Christmas, not that I was expecting to either. I waited until the 27th after mail delivery and had not seen any tracking updates or messages come through. It seemed the weather issue was past most of the country too and the Holiday weekend was behind us. I sent another message, this time a little less patient, but still reasonable:

"Can I get an update on this now that Christmas and the weather have passed? I would expect this to ship ASAP."

He responded quickly again, and told me it would go out that day. He just needed to get home, print the label and get it in the mail. A tracking number was created and listed on ebay the next day, 12/28. That is normal when you buy the label through ebay. On the 29th, it updated to something like "awaiting item at USPS". Cool, it'll be here soon I thought. After checking back after a couple days, I notice there is nothing happening with tracking, but I waited through the Holiday (New Year) weekend. On the 3rd of Jan, the first day of mail in the new year and again after mail arrived locally, I sent another message. This time I was much more firm:

"This is the last time I will be asking for an update. Tracking number appears to be one that is bought but not put into the usps system yet.

Have you actually mailed this card, meaning does the USPS have the package or is the card still in your possession?

I have been pretty patient considering, but I am tired of waiting with no updates. I paid for this item over 2 weeks ago now."

I'll add here for those that think I am a giant jerk now that normally I am very patient. I am not going anywhere, the cards aren't for resale or anything else. However, this deal felt a little shaky/risky from the get go, so I wanted to see some movement and it just wasn't happening. I was a little off on my statement too, as it had actually only been 13 days since I paid (not counting the 21st, since it was in the middle of the night). Once more, he responded quickly, stating he'd dropped it off, but wasn't sure why there were no updates. Oddly enough, the next day the tracking updated with USPS in possession of the item and from there it started to move. I am willing to bet that it was still in his possession until the 4th. In arrived today, taking just 3 days to actually arrive once the USPS had the item.




I am going to post another ebay story shortly. I wish that one would go viral, but I don't have the patience or presence to make that happen. It really needs to though. Stay tuned!

 

[Dilferules]

View attachment 344768


Forgot about this one too, Eli Manning/50. Man, what a hassle though. Maybe I am just being extra paranoid here, but I seem to be having more and more issues on ebay and my patience is starting to wear thin. Frankly getting tired of slow shippers, poor packagers and the rest of the crap we have to wade through just to collect cards and pay for the privilege of doing it. I'll share my experience on this one. Some people may look at it and think I am being unreasonable, others may agree that it seemed to take a little too long. it's not the end of the world and I got my item as promised, 16 days after it was purchased. It could have been worse in many ways...I am sharing the details simply because I think the seller handled this poorly and knowing my concerns up front, could have really done more to ease my concerns, even a simple message to tell me he couldn't make it to the PO or whatever else. Communication goes a long way!

On 12/21, close to midnight PST I did a BIN on this after checking prices and paid immediately. I would have really liked to get one cheaper, but I like this design and wanted to add him to my collection. The price actually seemed a bit on the cheap end too but the seller had less than 200 FB and a 97.9% rating. I figured the risk now days of loss is low, so I did it Some of you are now thinking..."if it sounds too good to be true...". I messaged the seller after paying, knowing he'd see it the next day at the earliest, said I had read his feedback and was hoping for a positive experience, in so many words. I tried to be as polite as possible, while still calling out some concerns. Specifically, others had called him out for poor packaging and slow shipping. This was my message:

"Bought the Manning auto late last night before heading off to bed. Normally I don't go digging but saw your feedback rating was a bit lower than average (ahead of time) and still decided to buy despite what I read.

I will ask that you please ship the item as soon as possible and that it be securely shipped (team bag, tape or something that prevents the card from possibly slipping out from its protection (top loader, cardboard and/or whatever your norm is), two items that were brought up in feedback.

I don't expect you to drop everything and run to the PO for my item but given that Xmas weekend is upon us, when can I expect this package will go out? Thanks."

He responded the next day, brushed them off as nothing and assured me everything would be fine. He'd try to ship that day, but there was a snowstorm coming (he was in Ohio). It did get pretty bad in our area with snow/ice, so I assume Ohio was much worse. With Christmas approaching, I figured I was probably not going to see this card by Christmas, not that I was expecting to either. I waited until the 27th after mail delivery and had not seen any tracking updates or messages come through. It seemed the weather issue was past most of the country too and the Holiday weekend was behind us. I sent another message, this time a little less patient, but still reasonable:

"Can I get an update on this now that Christmas and the weather have passed? I would expect this to ship ASAP."

He responded quickly again, and told me it would go out that day. He just needed to get home, print the label and get it in the mail. A tracking number was created and listed on ebay the next day, 12/28. That is normal when you buy the label through ebay. On the 29th, it updated to something like "awaiting item at USPS". Cool, it'll be here soon I thought. After checking back after a couple days, I notice there is nothing happening with tracking, but I waited through the Holiday (New Year) weekend. On the 3rd of Jan, the first day of mail in the new year and again after mail arrived locally, I sent another message. This time I was much more firm:

"This is the last time I will be asking for an update. Tracking number appears to be one that is bought but not put into the usps system yet.

Have you actually mailed this card, meaning does the USPS have the package or is the card still in your possession?

I have been pretty patient considering, but I am tired of waiting with no updates. I paid for this item over 2 weeks ago now."

I'll add here for those that think I am a giant jerk now that normally I am very patient. I am not going anywhere, the cards aren't for resale or anything else. However, this deal felt a little shaky/risky from the get go, so I wanted to see some movement and it just wasn't happening. I was a little off on my statement too, as it had actually only been 13 days since I paid (not counting the 21st, since it was in the middle of the night). Once more, he responded quickly, stating he'd dropped it off, but wasn't sure why there were no updates. Oddly enough, the next day the tracking updated with USPS in possession of the item and from there it started to move. I am willing to bet that it was still in his possession until the 4th. In arrived today, taking just 3 days to actually arrive once the USPS had the item.

View attachment 344766


I am going to post another ebay story shortly. I wish that one would go viral, but I don't have the patience or presence to make that happen. It really needs to though. Stay tuned!

I don't think you did anything wrong, and the seller was way slow. Personally for me I wouldn't have emailed the seller right off the bat after I purchased it, I don't feel like that's going to do any good. If I had concerns I'd email them before I bought it. Also if I hit a BIN on December 21 I'd honestly figure there was a good chance it wouldn't get mailed until after Christmas and I'd expect that. After New Years is stretching it way too far.

Unless something is a high dollar or highly anticipated purchase I don't even think about it until it's been a couple of weeks since I paid and I don't have it. Then I'll start bugging them. One of the reasons I don't bother selling on eBay are the buyers who go nuts if you don't ship it 3 minutes after they paid. I mean I'm not going to sit on stuff forever but give me a couple of days.

 

[mrmopar]

Pervis Ellison, one of the pack inserted cards, I believe. It is Fleer embossed and I seem to recall it being on the checklist. Same seller that seems to have an endless supply of Fleer and Hoops/Skybox + Score Board 90s pack insert and QVC type autos. I am hoping for the best, but I don't bid too terribly high either.

Lindy McDaniel. Card was bubble wrapped in a padded mailer, but no hard sleeve. It survived, by WHY do people risk it? Dumb if you ask me to ever send any card not in a top loader or equivalent holder. Not worth the damage risk.

Howie Long Mic Auto.

Jim Marshall. I was surprised to learn he was not in the HOF. Hoping he gets the nod this year.

 

[WizardofOz1982]

I had a decent sized lot of Bagwells arrive today that I bought for a good price with the main selling point being I was assured it contained a Tiffany RC that was in excellent shape.


It is in nice shape. It's most assuredly not a Tiffany though. It's the Factory set version.

However it isn't all bad. Hiding in the binder were several nice Bagwells that I didn't have.