In The Ballpark

Zistle Trade #10

2016-07-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

In my latest Zistle trade, I picked a bunch of needed Rays cards...

And Marlins cards. I think my favorite card is the Stadium Club Gary Sheffield card. Stadium Club always has excellent photography. I think it also helps to omit the borders on cards.

I also picked up some miscellaneous cards including a very nice rookie card of Jorge Soler from Bowman. In return for this trade, I gave up a bunch of star and rookie cards from the 1980's. I think it was a successful trade for both sides.

Pack Break: 2014 Prizm

2016-07-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

I broke open a 2014 Prizm Retail Pack. The pack boasts only 4 cards. I guess the Piazza insert is the best pull of the pack. Although, I was more excited to get the Henderson and Harper cards. I barely have any of this product. I think the reason is that this is not a MLB licensed product. Don't mention any team names. Otherwise, we'll have to pay money. I find these unlicensed cards to be sort of cheesy. Give these folks a license, MLB!

Zistle Trade #9

2016-06-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

I picked up a bunch of 2012 Topps base cards in my latest Zistle trade. I gave up some early 1980's cardboard in exchange. Not a bad deal. I'm starting to accumulate quite a bit of this product. The Ryan Braun card in the picture is #1 in the set. The text on the back of the card says that Braun plays ping pong with former NBA player Reggie Miller during the off-season. I wonder if that's true.

Zistle Trade #8

2016-06-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the haul from my latest Zistle trade. I gave up a a bunch of mid-1980's Mets cards in exchange for some 2014 Bowman cards and some miscellaneous odds and ends. I barely have any 2014 Bowman so I'm glad to make this trade. I can never justify buying packs or boxes of Bowman since the product usually has a focus on prospects who will never play in the majors. Anyway, here is a look at the loot.

Pack Break: 2015 Topps Jumbo Pack

2016-06-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

I recently opened a jumbo pack of 2015 Topps Series One. The pack contains 36 cards. The highlights are in the photo. I didn't really get anything too extraordinary. There were 4 insert cards. I think my favorite card is the Machado/Ripken insert. Otherwise, the remaining cards were the standard Topps fare.

Spending My Listia Credits

2016-05-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

In an effort to avoid Soviet style inflation on Listia, I spent most of my remaining credits on one auction. I spent about 40,000 credits on 4 game used jersey cards of Josh Hamilton, Garrett Anderson, Freddy Garcia, and Seung Song. I bought the lot to get the Hamilton card. The Garcia and Anderson cards will likely go into my collection. I will probably trade the Song card or sell it as part of a lot at some point. Song never made the majors, but he is still pitching in Korea. I have about 4,000 Listia credits left. I should spend them soon before they become worthless.

Zistle Trade #7

2016-05-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

In my latest Zistle trade, I scored a bunch of 2012 Topps base cards, as well as a few additional cards that I needed. I was happy to acquire the 2012 Allen & Ginter cards as I don't have many of them from that year. The cards that I gave up were mostly Topps base cards from 1982, 1986, and 1988. I'm good with that. Here's a photo of the haul:

Zistle Trade #6

2016-04-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

In my latest Zistle trade, I picked up a small Priority Box of base Topps, Topps Opening Day, Allen & Ginter, and Gypsy Queen cards. Most were from 2012-2014. In exchange, I gave up a bunch of star and rookie cards from the 1980's and 1990's. I'd rather have the modern common cards over the older star cards. Anyway, here's a picture of the loot:

Another Zistle Trade

2016-03-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

In my latest Zistle trade, I acquired several later year cards, mostly of Yankee and White Sox players. Most were from the base Topps and Heritage set. In exchange, I gave up a bunch of White Sox cards from the mid to late 1980's. Anyway, here's a look at the loot.

Pack Break: 2015 Donruss Value Pack

2016-03-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

I recently opened a 30 card value pack of 2015 Donruss. I know that because the pack said "value pack" in big letters. And, it said "30 cards per pack" in even bigger letters.

Aside from the fact that Donruss is essentially unlicensed bootleg baseball cards, I like the set and I like the old school Donruss logo. There seems to be a good mix of current and former players. The idea of a player being on the Texas Baseball Club instead of the Rangers is corny. But, maybe it also has some charm. I am a fan of the card backs. They remind me of 1990 Donruss. Although it's the worst of junk wax, the set carries fond childhood memories.

Of the 30 cards, 7 were inserts. I like the variety of inserts. Too many inserts for one pack? I don't know. This seems like a brand that I would buy a little bit of throughout the year, but that would be it. If MLB would grant a license to Donruss, I think I would be inclined to buy a little more of this product.

Zistle Trade #4

2016-03-07T13:24:00.000-08:00

I acquired a decent sized stack of 2012 Topps base cards in a Zistle trade recently in exchange for a similar amount of Blue Jays cards from the 1986 and 1988 Topps set. The Blue Jays are one of those teams that I have always found difficult to trade because there seem to be few trade partners available. So, I am happy to find a Blue Jays fan who is willing to trade. Anyway, here is a sampling of all of my loot.

Listia Mailbag: Trevor Cahill

2016-03-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

I found a certified autograph card of somebody I've heard of on Listia that was actually reasonably priced so I pulled the trigger. The card is a 2011 Topps Autograph of Trevor Cahill. The price was about 13,000 credits. The card is beautiful and in great shape. Admittedly, it is a sticker autograph. But, the signature itself is even borderline legible.

Zistle Trade #3

2016-02-27T18:06:00.000-08:00

I completed another trade on Zistle. Here, I received some Topps base set cards from 2012 to 2015. For some reason, I don't have much of the base set from 2012, 2014, or 2015. In exchange for this bounty, I gave up a bubble mailer full of late 80's goodies. Zistle is quickly replacing Listia (which replaced eBay) as my favorite online source of individual cards.

A Pair of Hanks

2016-02-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

I picked up a pair of Hank Blalock game used jersey cards from 2003 and 2004 Topps on Listia for around 9,000 credits. They are both good looking cards and in very good condition. I didn't realize that Blalock had actually been out of baseball for 6 years. Where have I been?

Zistle Trade #2

2016-02-15T17:28:00.001-08:00

I have completed another trade on Zistle. I have found it very easy to use the site so far. There seem to be enough users so that everyone can have a trading partner. In this trade, I picked up 6 2012 Topps Archives cards. In exchange, I gave up a few 1980's-1990's cards, many of which were from 1987 Topps. I honestly think we should have a giant bonfire for all collectors to dispose of our 1987 Topps cards. In fairness, the set had some decent rookie cards. Anyway, my haul consisted of Desmond Jennings, Todd Helton, Justin Verlander, Hunter Pence, Aroldis Chapman, and Michael Morse.

To Patch or Not To Patch

2016-01-29T12:40:00.000-08:00

I picked up these 3 manufactured patch cards on Listia recently. They feature Josh Hamilton, Adrian Gonzalez, and Johan Santana. I paid about 22,000 credits for the lot. I actually have the rookie cards of Hamilton and Gonzalez featured on the patches. That's why I bought the lot. I am not really a fan of manufactured patch cards. Unlike, a game used relic card, these patches were made for the sole purpose of becoming part of a baseball card. The patch itself really has nothing to do with the game of baseball. Still, I think I got a decent deal. I may consider relisting the Santana card by itself on Listia to recover some of the cost.

My First Zistle Trade

2016-01-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

I recently completed my first trade on Zistle. Zistle is a site that allows collectors to post what's in their collections, participate in forums, and trade cards. The trade was fairly simple. I gave up a bunch of 1991 Fleer base cards that I didn't want. In exchange, I received a bunch of 2015 Topps that I did want. I probably spend way too much of my free time posting the cards that I have on the Zistle site.

Random Diamondbacks Lot

2016-01-17T12:21:00.001-08:00

I picked up a lot of 7 Diamondbacks cards on Listia for a mere 76 credits. There's nothing too special here. It's mostly mid-2000s base cards. It was a cheap lot, and I didn't have any of these cards. However, the shipping lesson here is to utilize the penny sleeve. It will prevent many dinged corners. I'm complaining about some damage to a few of the cards caused by a lack of protection. I don't think it's visible in the scan. But, it's a pet peeve of mine.

2015 Topps Series 2 From the Dollar Store

2016-01-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Topps base set is a lot a nice dinner. Series 1 is the appetizer. Much like filling up on bread and salad, I usually buy enough Series 1 to satisfy me for the entire year. Series 2 is the main course. It looks good, but I have had too much of the Series 1 product, so I only take a nibble. The Update Series is the dessert. I don't have any room for it, so I typically skip it. I bought 8 packs of Series 2 at the dollar store. This will probably be my only Series 2 that I buy. My haul was rather ho-hum. The highlight of the packs was the base card of hobby friend Pat Neshek, which comes in an attractive landscape format. The only duplicates that I found were of Twins' infielder Danny Santana. I got what I paid for. No complaints.

Listia Mailbag: The Bossman

2016-01-04T15:44:00.000-08:00

I picked up this game used jersey card of BJ Upton on Listia for just about 4000 credits. The card is from 2014 Topps Heritage. I wish I bought more Heritage, because I really like the card designs. In 2014, he was BJ. But now, he is Melvin Upton, Jr. That sounds like the name of a scientist, not a baseball player. The card came with a couple of small stress creases, but they don't take away from the card's overall appearance.

Listia Mailbag: Ricky Nolasco

2015-12-18T14:26:00.000-08:00

I recently picked up this 2013 Allen & Ginter game used jersey card of Ricky Nolasco on Listia for about 5,000 credits. I think that's about two bucks. Or, it might be five hundred dollars. I'm not sure. In any event, it's a cool looking card. I like how the A&G relic cards have the mini card inside the frame. It's like a Russian nesting doll. Nolasco was a Marlin on the card, sporting the then new Miami Marlin jersey.

Possibly My Last eBay Purchase

2015-12-09T14:16:00.000-08:00

I scored a bargain on eBay by snagging a lot of 4 CC Sabathia cards. I really bought the lot for the sole Yankee card from 2010 Topps. However, the 3 Indians cards were all from brands that I don't have much of. All of this cost me a grand total of 16 cents with free shipping. So, why would this be my last eBay purchase? Aside from being all around morons who ruined the site over the past decade, the powers that be at eBay decided to restrict my account from all selling because my performance level was below standard. It's really my fault since my feedback rating was only at 100%. Oh wait, that's the highest possible percentage from a mathematical standpoint. So, I've decided to take the liberty of restricting my buying on the site and take my business elsewhere. Anybody have any suggestions for a decent auction style site to buy/sell cards?

Pack Break: 2013 Topps Series 2

2015-12-03T13:26:00.000-08:00

I broke open a pack of 2013 Topps Series 2 cards. I didn't really pull anything noteworthy. I did get a David Freese mini card. However, I did notice something odd about the Jonathan Papelbon card. It seems as though he is about to eat a large meal, possibly Bryce Harper. If there was any doubt as to whether Papelbon is nuts, just look at this card.

Happy Thanksgiving

2015-11-26T13:16:00.003-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I always view Thanksgiving as the perfect opportunity to show off my cards of Jimmy Gobble. Gobble pitched for the Royals in the mid-2000s before ending his career with the White Sox. This is a 2004 Topps Future Stars card that Gobble was forced to share with some other guy.

Listia Mailbag: Jose Reyes Silk Card

2015-11-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

I picked up this 2013 Topps Update Silk Card of Jose Reyes on Listia for about 4800 credits. I am a fan of silk cards even though they are kinda gimmicky. However, I prefer the silk cards that look like the design from the given year. Here, the Reyes card shows a rookie card from 2001. The card came with a small crease on the right side, which is visible in the photo. Otherwise, it's a great looking card of a former Met.