McCutchen Mailday #82 & 83: The Book of Cutch and a dirty shirt

The same seller that provided me with a handful of amazing cards in my collection this year also had these two cards available for sale and the basic relic was a throw-in.  I'm always happy to add Cutch relics to the PC especially this year as my Quest for 100 new Cutch cards is nearing the completion mark already into June.

A pair of El Coffee

Just got a pair of autographed Gregory Polanco cards in the mail today.  Nothing too exciting though.

Both are stickered autographs.

McCutchen Mailday #81: Just a Parallel

Short on time so it's just a quick addition of my 81st entry into adding 100 new Cutch cards to the PC this year.

SICK SICK SICK!!!! MAJOR MOJO!! GREGORY POLANCO TEAM PATCH

A few weeks ago, I showed off an insane Gerrit Cole PC addition and today I am doing the same with another young core member of the Pirates team, Gregory Polanco.

Polanco has a beautiful swing at the plate and there is no doubt in my mind that he will blossom into a key piece of the Pirates future as they battle for the division year after year.  He's been struggling against lefties in the majors thus far in his career and it wasn't until Joey Gallo's promotion that I realized something.  Most lefties don't have crazy platoon splits until they reach the majors and that's because in the minors there aren't any dominating left handed pitchers.  If you're a dominant lefty in the minors, you quickly ascend to the majors faster than any other player type.

This will likely be my last addition of Gregory Polanco to my second 2014 National Treasures reverse box as I have already shown off 3 other beautiful cards of the former top prospect.

While I love the patch to this Polanco more than the Cole I showed, it brings me such great disappointment that this patch was 

used at an event and not a game.

At least Panini was willing to admit that.

McCutchen Mailday #80: A Box Topper of sorts

My Quest for 100 new Andrew McCutchen cards has brought in some really amazing additions to the collection.  It's also forced me to seek out some more unique cards of Cutch to my collection that I normally wouldn't be searching for.  Such was the case with this 2015 Heritage Punchboard of Cutch and Hall of Famer Al Kaline.

I'm not sure of the connection between Cutch and Kaline, but I was VERY tempted to play the game on this $20 punchboard.  Many of these sell in the $20-$40 range and I was fortunate to grab one on the lower side of $20.

My Maz Collection grows again

My latest addition to my Bill Mazeroski is a two card lot.  One card is an autograph of the Hall of Fame Second Baseman and World Series Hero, the other is just a base Topps card.  Both cards use the same photo though.

Here's the autograph card from 2008 UD Premier numbered 15/25.

The other card is from 2014 World Series Heroes.

Besides Clemente and the guys from the deadball era (Waner, Wagner, Traynor) the Pirates Hall of Famers autos can be had fairly cheaply. Maz and Kiner autos often go for around $20

Anxiously awaiting Stadium Club

Last year's Stadium Club was phenomenal.  The photography was great and the on card autographs were some great names.

I am really hoping that Jun Ho Kang or Josh Harrison get a Stadium Club auto this year.

I grabbed this auto of potential All-Star Starling Marte for $7 delivered earlier in the year. Starling made a game saving catch yesterday that got the Bucs back in the Win column after being swept in Washington.

McCutchen Mailday #79: Tribute Prime Pieces

I've been showing off a lot of high end Andrew McCutchen cards lately and that's because I purchased a massive lot from the same seller and made several payments to grab them all.  We are nearing the 80% mark of the goal being completed half way through the year.  Adding 100 new Cutch cards over the course of 365 days seemed like a crazy task.  What's crazier though is the amount of sick cards I have been able to grab this year.  If not for his terrible start to the season, I wouldn't have been able to grab all these high end cards for less than they would currently be going for.

Year after year, Topps Tribute is one of my favorite high end sets to chase after.  This year was no different for the base and relic cards.  Unfortunately the product was recalled due to many autographs smudging and appearing streaky.  For that, the cards on the secondary market have demanded a more premium value.  When I saw this prime patch available I couldn't pass adding it to my pile with the same seller that provided me so many other key cards to my collection this year.

McCutchen Mailday #77: Graded 10 Bowman Heritage Rookie

Variants are fun to chase even if you're grabbing them 10 years after the fact.  2005 Bowman Heritage saw Andrew McCutchen get two versions of his card, one running in the field and another with a bat on his shoulder.  I've had the regular (fielding) version for well over half a decade.  I can proudly saw the bat on shoulder is now in my possession.

I don't necessarily trust this grading company, but for a slabbed copy selling for less than an unslabbed copy I just couldn't pass it up.

And because of that, it marks card #77 in my Quest for 100 new Cutch cards added to the collection in 2015.

Morton on the Mound: 1/1 Platinum Topps Mini

Here's another 2014 Topps Mini of Ground Chuck and it's the Platinum version numbered 1/1.

This beaut was acquired for a bargain as it's a true 1/1 colored parallel and ran me less than $30.  My Morton collection is extremely impressive with the amount of 1/1s I have of the Jersey born sinkerballer. He is off to a great start this year with a sub 2 ERA and 5 wins through his first 5 starts.

McCutchen Mailday #78: ANOTHER AUTOGRAPH /25

Recently I showed off 3 parallels from 2015 Topps Museum that I received as gifts which I will use for my reverse box of 2015 Topps Museum.  One thing that my Quest for 100 new Cutch cards has lacked this year is autographs of the former NL MVP.

I intend to stop that trend today. This low numbered sticker auto ran me a good penny, but I am happy to say that I now sit at 90 unique Andrew McCutchen autographs in my collection. It is the 6th autograph of Cutch I have added in 2015.

The back of the card recognizes what Cutch had to do in order to become the great player he is today.

#JHayAllDay: My 1st Certified Josh Harrison Auto

One type of cardboard that I consistently seek out to add to my collection is silver sharpie on card autographs on top of a black background.  I have many of the Pirates top players and prospects rookies as part of Bowman Black's line of cards.

Topps Tier 1 and Tribute have slowly been adding these type of cards into their sets as well and last year I grabbed the Jason Grilli "Grill Cheese" Inscription.  Today I am showing off a card that I have literally been waiting 3 years for Topps to produce.  A Josh Harrison certified on card autograph.  When Josh Harrison and Chase D'arnaud debuted in 2011, I became very excited for the Bucs as I saw both of these energetic young athletes being able to produce at a premium position up the middle with Harrison being a 2B and D'arnaud being SS.  I saw Walker moving back to 3B and Pedro Alvarez at 1B.  Some of that scenario happened, but one thing I desperately wanted at the time was autographs of guys not named Ross Ohlendorf, Jose Tabata, and strangely enough Andrew McCutchen.  I wanted the role players to have signed cards.

Now that Josh Harrison has emerged as an All-Star everyday player that is a switch army knife in the field, Topps is finally producing a certified auto of the man known as JHayAllDay in their products.

There were several to choose from in Tier 1, but this one stood out to me.

Low numbered, on card, silver sharpie, black background, and JHayAllDay?
Doesn't matter how much it cost, this card is awesome!!!!

Reverse Boxin' Museum Collection

With the complete debacle that was 2015 Topps Tribute being recalled, I quickly decided that I wasn't going to reverse box Tribute this year like I have done in the past.  Instead I chose to do another reverse box of 2014 National Treasures and 2015 Topps Museum.

National Treasures, despite not having a license, has been my favorite set to reverse box (as you can tell by all the posts I've made about it).  Topps Museum has been one of my favorite sets to chase high end cards on the secondary market year after year.

Museum had a large selection of Pirates to choose from in their product this year.  Due to overspending on some other high end items from the line, I went for the cheap route for these three cards you see below.  I managed to win all three for $38 delivered in separate auctions.

McCutchen Mailday #76: Another Relic added to the Quest

I'm curious to see where my Quest for 100 new Cutch cards will actually end up tallying after the year comes to a close.  Donruss really upped their game for the 2015 release this year.  The relics for both Jersey Kings and Bat Kings are awesome looking.

Behold the majesty of this beautiful unlicensed piece of cardboard and clothing swatch....

It might have been purchased for way less than a 1/1 but this is a card that I absolutely loved adding to my collection.  $5 delivered well spent...

Morton on the Mound: Back in Black

I have all the 2015 Topps parallels except the printing plates.  I will show off a different Morton each time he takes the mound in the 2015 season.

Because so many of the Pirates in their 2015 Series 1 cards are in the Black alternate uniform, I've considered building the team set in black parallels.  I tried this back in 2012 too, but fell through once Series 2 came out.  The same is likely to happen this year.  So far all I have is Morton and Harrison.  This particular Morton is numbered 28/64.

Bat Knobs and Boom Sticks!!!!

If there is one thing I love to own, it's a 1/1 of my favorite players.  Not just any 1/1s though.  I'm talking Superfractors, Bat Nameplates, Letters, sick patches, etc...  I've shown off some impressive 1/1s in the past Including 4 last week, but nothing compares to this bad ass card of my favorite current nonPirate, Jose "Joey Bats" Bautista.

This card is an absolute mammoth!!!
It's super super super thick and I don't even know what to say besides this video...

That video pretty much summarizes why Joey Bats is my favorite baseball player that's not currently on the Bucs (I bet that Neal Huntington wishes he could have that trade back)

Oh and in case anyone cares, here's the back of the card.

The Blue Jays are steamrolling now having won 11 straight games.

McCutchen Mailday #74 &75: a pair of 2015 Relics

To celebrate Cutch's 2 RBI in yesterday's game, Im going to show off a pair of relics. This brings me to the 3/4 mark on my 2015 goal to add 100 new Andrew McCutchen cards to my collection.

Before the year started I decided that I wanted to do my yearly reverse box of 2015 Topps Tribute.  After the recall, I determined that grabbing just a relic of Cutch and a base card of Cutch was good enough for me.  I didn't have the desire to chase smudged Gregory Polanco autographs or tiny jersey cards of Gerrit Cole just to carry on the tradition of reverse boxing Topps Tribute.

Around the same time of winning this 2015 Topps Tribute relic, an Arch-type relic from Topps Series 1 was ending and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to snag them both.

Here they are in their separate unique scans...

I use the term unique loosely as the image is the same and the jersey swatch is practically the same too.

Everybody aboard the Cole Train...

This card had eluded me for nearly half a year before I was able to pull the trigger on one that was reasonably priced.  I can finally add it to the other 2 Pirates Notable Nicknames (Dave "The Cobra" Parker and Gregory "El Coffee" Polanco)

Gerrit Cole has truly turned himself into the ace of the staff and there ain't no stoppin the Cole Train this year. He will be on the mound today going for his 10th win of the year.

McCutchen Mailday #73: 1/1 Laundry Tag

If you've been following my blog this year, you know that I have been adding a new Andrew McCutchen card to my collection every couple days.  One of my goals this year was to add 100 new Andrew McCutchen cards to my PC by year's end.  I started the year around 500 unique Andrew McCutchen cards and at the rate I am currently at, I will most likely end the year around 700 unique cards of Cutch.  It's not just base cards that I have been aggressive buying this year though.  It's also sick cards like this 1/1 Laundry Tag from 2015 Topps Museum.

The front of this card is absolutely stunning!!!!

The back tells you absolutely nothing too exciting

This is my 3rd 1/1 in as many days. Go check out the Dave Parker bat barrel from yesterday if you missed it.

Dave Parker 1/1 Bat Barrel from 2015 Museum

I am always on the hunt for one definitive card of a player I collect.  I now have a grail for my Dave Parker collection.

I've got several bat nameplates in my collection that I have already shown off. This 2015 Topps Museum started a massive purchase of some incredibly sick cards that I have been waiting to show off.

In case you're wondering, yes that is a Dave Parker 1/1 Bat Barrel from 2015 Topps Museum.  I purchased a large lot of cards from a seller and this was the main card in the lot.

He included these two Dave Parker autographs as throw ins to the deal.  Yup, free Cobra autographs as throw-ins...you just can't beat that.

I will be showing off more cards from my purchase in the next few weeks. I got some booklets, 1/1s, dual relics, jumbo jerseys, etc.

Morton on the Mound: 1/1 Printing Plate 2014 Topps Mini

Charlie Morton is on the mound today and you know what that means...

Another installment of Morton on the Mound.

Today's card ties in with the rest of the week's high end, super rare cards.  It's a 1/1 yellow printing plate from 2014 Topps Mini.

It goes perfectly with the 2014 Topps Yellow Printing Plate I showed off last year in July (also seen below)

McCutchen Mailday #72: RUN PMC!!!!!! Triple relic of Polanco, Marte, Cutch

As a baseball fan, it's hard not to get excited about the potential the Pirates young outfield has together.  As a Pirates fan, it's downright thrilling to think of the amount of controlled years the Pirates have left of RunPMC (Polanco, Marte, Cutch)

While browsing for some McCutchen 1/1s to add to my Quest for 100 new Cutch cards in 2015 I came across this eBay 1/1 that had been on my radar since the products release.  Prior to the 2015 Topps Heritage card featuring Pops Stargell and RunPMC, this was the first relic card that featured Polanco, Marte, and Cutch together.  Many had eluded me for many of months until I snagged this bad boy for $40.

This unlicensed piece of cardboard is serially numbered 99/99 

Jameson Taillon Superfractor!!!!

It's been nearly 5 years since Jameson Taillon was drafted out of high school with the #2 overall pick in 2010.  Since then Taillon has progressed a level each year, pitched in the 2012 Futures Game, and also served on Team Canada for the WBC striking out 3 members of Team USA in 3 innings of work.  Sadly he has also been sidelined for the past year and change recovering from Tommy John surgery.

I suspect that Taillon will get back to the mound for minor league games soon and could be a pitcher to keep an eye on if there is a string of injuries or ineffectiveness from one of the main starters.

The MLB Draft is tonight and I'm hoping the Pirates continue to add to their already stocked farm system with more elite talent.  The Pirates lower levels are filled with position players so maybe selecting a high school arm with the #19 overall selection is the way to go.

Around tax return time I snagged this 1/1 superfractor of the former first rounder, Jameson Taillon.  It marks my 3rd Superfractor.

SICK JOLLY ROGER PATCH AND GERRIT COLE ON CARD AUTO!!!!

This card is without question, my favorite Gerrit Cole card in my collection to this point.  It's very low numbered (only 10 copies).  It's got an on card autograph.  It's got the bandanna for the Jolly Roger patch.  It features his Futures Game jersey.  Even the image of Gerrit without a Pirates logo of him, makes sense for how the card was designed.  Beautiful job Panini.

The back goes on to talk about how awesome Gerrit is in addition to authenticating the blue jersey swatch is from his 2012 Futures Game appearance.

McCutchen Mailday #69, 70, & 71: A Trio of Museums

When I had made arrangements to purchase a few high end 2015 Topps Museum cards from a seller, he generously included these 3 parallels of Cutch's 2015 Topps Museum base card.

Museum has the best base cards year after year.  These new additions in the Quest for 100 bring me nearly three quarters complete as of typing this (April 29th).  Adding another 30 cards by December shouldn't be an issue at all.

Starting on Sunday I will be showing off some key items in my collection that I have recently acquired.  One of them will be a 1/1 bat barrel.

Morton on the Mound: Graded rookie 9.5

I recently picked up a 2002 Bowman Chrome rookie of Charlie Morton graded 9.5

It seems appropriate to show it off today since Ground Chuck is facing off against his former team. It was just a little over 6 years ago when the Braves traded Morton along with 2013 All-Star Jeff Locke and minor league depth Gorky's Hernandez for Nate McLouth.

McLouth was coming off a 2008 All-Star appearance along with winning a gold glove in Center field.

Since the trade Morton and Locke have produced 1.3 WAR for the Bucs. Granted, it's nothing great but both men are still contributing to the Pirates success unlike McLouth who posted 0.1 WAR over his 3 years with Braves.

McCutchen Mailday #68: Oddbal Art Style Magazine Card

My quest for 100 new Andrew McCutchen cards has landed me this oddball that I picked up for free after a $10 coupon off the interwebs. I don't know if the card is even real, but it is fairly thick and very glossy.  It features the Pirates logos, but doesn't state anything about being licensed by MLB.

The front of the card says 6/7 so I am assuming that is the month of the magazine's release date, but then again it could be a short print run card numbered 6/7.  If anyone has any information about this card or the magazine please let me know.

The back is very basic

McCutchen Mailday #67: Studio Shots

Donruss Studio was one of my favorite lines of cards when I was a kid, especially the Throwback inserts.  Donruss/Panini has been doing inserts of Studio for the past few years and Cutch has been a part of them all.

Last year's Studio insert is a card that eluded me due to it's lack of appearances on the secondary market.  In the past year, I have maybe seen only 5 pop up and they often would sell in the $10 range.  Recently one popped up for $4 Buy It Now and combined shipping.  I grabbed it and now it's the 67th new Cutch card I have added to my PC this year in my Quest for 100.

The back is typical for what you can expect from Donruss products.  No flash, just info.

Another Cole Train auto for $15

In the next week I will be showing off some absolute sick cards (many of which are 1/1s). Be sure to check them out and comment as you see them.

In the meantime here is a 2015 Donruss red parallel I grabbed for $15. Its low numbered 23/25.

McCutchen Mailday #66: Kershaw, Cutch, and Johnson

I'm at card number 66 in my pursuit to add 100 new Andrew McCutchen cards to my collection by year's end. My recent purchase is from 2015 Topps Heritage and cost me $8 delivered.

It features the 2015 MVP, 2013 MVP, and 2012 NL batting champ runner up.