MY 2017 NSCC EXPERIENCE AND PICKUPS!

Friendly competition + unemployment = lots of cards

Some weeks ago I cultivated a relationship with someone else in this world that collects Hank Greenberg cards.

You might be thinking, "what, someone else collects this stuff?"  In fact, yes. they do.

While speaking with him and comparing our collections, I think it fueled a bit of a fire in me to best his collection. He has a ton of high end cut autographs, low numbered cards, bat cards and some vintage.  Nothing short of a great collection.

I really enjoy talking with him (almost daily) and asking for advice on purchases, prices etc. If you don't know someone who collects the same way you do, I highly recommend you reach out to them for their friendship, guidance and knowledge.

So I've been buying.  Also probably aided by my being unemployed since early January. With time comes opportunity.  And with opportunity, comes a hot streak.

Everything below is what I've acquired since early January, with two more cards coming this and next week:

2014 NATIONAL TREASURES WHALE HARPOONED

It's been a while

For 2015 I want to be posting more regularly.  Wanted to give a broad overview of my pickups over the past few months.

July was nice, landing a couple of nice vintage cards, 1 an upgrade and the other a variation of what I currently had.  A 1935 Goudey 4-in-1 #9F courtesy of Kevin Savage auctions.  Probably overpaid for it considerably, as it graded only a SGC 20, but I like the card for what it is.

Also found my upgrade to the 1939 Exhibit Salutation "Very Truly Yours" from a deal on the Blowout forums, then sold my older version for $5 less than the price that I bought my upgrade.  Not a bad deal if you ask me!  This graded as an SGC 40, a bit less than I thought it would, but still very pleased with it.


August was fruitful.  Went to a show and sold a few cards for $195, and gambled to win $81 in the same day at the casino upstairs to help fund my biggest purchase to date.  A 1937 O-Pee-Chee beaut graded an SGC 50.  The card is more beautiful in person and is now a huge puzzle piece sealed in my quest for the master vintage set.

After this quite massive purchase I sequestered myself from buying to help recoup my cash pool.  September was slow, with no purchases, but I did submit 3 cards to SGC for grading.



October proved less-profitable, but did get the grades back from SGC, including the blue Batter Up that got an SGC 10 which was expected.  This was also the month that 2014 Panini Classics came out.  I ended up landing the base card, a parallel /149, a Home Run Heroes insert and a couple of triple bat cards featuring famous Tigers and Pirates.

November came to be great, where my long discussions with a dealer and web designer proved fruitful of my first printing plate, and fourth 1/1 for $50.

December had been uneventful, until tonight, where I just agreed to buy the brand new 2014 National Treasures bat /99 from a guy on the Blowout Forums that should be my last pickup of this 2014.





















Happy New Year all, and thanks for the read.

Bats on bats on bats

Over the last month I've focused on tackling some of the bat cards that I avoided in the past.  I like getting the bat cards, although I try not to think about where the bat sliver actually came from.  Glad that I've completed the run of the non-expensive 2012 Panini National Treasures bat cards, so hoping I can acquire some of the higher-end cards paired with other legends of the game.

I was also fortunate to acquire a tough card that rarely comes up with the 2005 SP Legendary Cuts bat /15 for a very decent price.

All below are the cards that I have acquired over the past month.

[new pickup] 2012 Panini National Treasures (again)

Took advantage of a possible bad listing on eBay and picked this short printed bat card up for $20. Unsure if I'm going to go after all of the other bat cards in the set; haven't been "known" to go after color variations, etc.

But who knows. I might take a bit of a break if I don't see anything I absolutely MUST have. Until further notice.

I do however want to post more about what I already have.  OH, and I need to post about my experience with Jordan Teicher.

Definitely more to come.

A once-in-a-lifetime Card: Now Mine

It's not often that a collector has a truly pleasant experience with a seller, but I can now say that I have.

In the post I wrote recently about 2012 Panini National Treasure I spoke briefly about an almost unobtainable card that I saw in the checklist. The card is a booklet of a cut signature paired with a jumbo piece of lumber. A card, no doubt, that could be the centerpiece of any collection.

After that post was published there were two more of those cards, numbered to only 5 that appeared on eBay. Aside from those two, there was one that surfaced that was a slight variation in that there was no nickname stencil in the other half of the booklet.

I then watched carefully as the high BIN prices were set, and never met. The National was approaching, and I knew my plans to go, do I figured I'd try to find one there. With no such luck of course.

A day after coming home from Chicago I had the itch for more. I looked up the completed, unsold card listing from one in Florida (the other being in Taiwan and I was not about to pay $30 to ship a card) and contacted the seller about the card since I hadn't seen it relisted.

Luckily he still had the card, and we came to an agreement (easily I will add). He gave me time to get paid from work to fund the card.

I paid for the card today, 8/19, it's in the mail and I am happy as a clam. And should get the card by end of week :)

National Treasure

With my second pickup from 2012 Panini National Treasures, comes this card:

This card is numbered to only 25, and features Detroit's two most feared hitters in the 30's. This card highlights both Greenberg and Gehringer leading the American League in 1934 with 63 doubles and 50 doubles, respectively.

This card cost me $50, a price I am pretty happy with. It's pretty much the only premium card from the set I would be able to afford at a decent price, at least for now. Many of the cards have superstars attached to some incredible piece of memorabilia, be it a jersey, patch or even glove in this triple including Jimmie Foxx and Mel Ott.

Who knows, if that stays reasonable I might snag that one as well, I don't own a glove card outside of this cool 2003 Joe Borchard card that isn't on eBay. Too lazy to scan it.

Good Wood

The most recent product release of 2012 Panini National Treasures Baseball has yielded 10 different cards with Hank Greenberg and his often used bat displayed on it. I have bought one card which should be arriving on Monday (3/11) so I will put that up when the time comes. I'm not into the different color variations of a card (although I am guilty with 2007 Premier baseball), so I will try to acquire as many as I can.

Except this went up for auction the other day.

That shit ain't fair.  A B/O (best offer) was hit for under $1,299. only numbered to 5. I have a realistic chance at 8 of the other cards that Greenberg is featured on, but this one, and the bat knob card that is said to exist are way too far out of my price range.

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On Friday I received a card that has long been on my want-list.

It's numbered to only 25, from 2002 Fleer Platinum and it cost me far less than what I've seen them go for in the past at $59. I also didn't have much competition in terms of other people bidding on this one.

I guess patience really is a virtue. According to the 2011 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards these cards are not priced due to scarcity. And I landed mine for a healthy $59. Needless to say I am incredibly pleased with this buy.

In fact, there is a similar card that is on eBay right now for a BIN (Buy It Now) of $180.

2002 Fleer Platinum Cornerstones Hank Greenberg Jimmie Foxx Dual Bat 25/25

This ranks as my second card that features both Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg, the first being

Remember to check back on Monday/Tuesday when I reveal which bat card I got from 2012 National Treasure.

Until then.