Tier 1 Reverse Box pickup

Since 2015 Topps Tribute (usually one of my favorite releases each year) was a complete dud due to the smudgy autographs, I chose to reverse box multiple "boxes" of National Treasures, Topps Museum, and Topps Tier 1.

Tier 1 offers incredible on card autographs (2 per box) and a relic card (1 per box)

Back in June, I purchased this Gregory Polanco Red/Rose autograph numbered 10/25 for $28 delivered.  That will leave me $80 to grab another autograph and a relic.  That shouldn't be a problem...

El Coffee has been an absolute stud for the month of August. He led the NL in hits for the month and his defense a few nights ago shut down multiple Rockies base runners.  Its only a month sample size, but if Polanco continues to blossom like he did in August, the Pirates have the best outfield of playoff contending teams without question.

McCutchen Mailday #111 & 112: more Relics!!!!

My Quest to add 100 new Andrew McCutchen cards has yielded some amazing cards this year.  While I can't classify these as groundbreaking I can say that I am very happy to add two more relic cards to my PC of Cutch.

 Topps Tribute used to be one of my favorite releases every year.  That was until they messed it up this year.

Diamond Kings, unlike Topps Tribute this year, completely nailed it.  I absolutely love this release.  Checkout that Studio Portrait of Cutch with dual relic action.  The dual relics are numbered to 99 copies.

A Ram walks into a bar and signs the Sounds...

Sounds like a very bad bar joke, but I recently grabbed this on card autograph of Aramis Ramirez from his days with the Nashville Sounds.  The card is from 1999 Just Minors and isn't numbered.  As a bonus the seller sent me the base card.  All for the low low low cost of $1.99

Under $2 for an autograph of a guy who has hit nearly 400 career Home Runs in the Show.

THE NICEST GERRIT COLE IN MY COLLECTION....

Well, I'm not sure if it's the nicest, but damn is this thing unique

Dual button relic from 2014 Gypsy Queen of Francisco Liriano and Gerrit Cole. Only 3 of these beauts were made.

Buc to the Future

The Pirates Outfield of #RunPMC@PNC might be one of the best outfields the team has ever assembled.  The 1965 tandem of two Hall of Famers (Willie Stargell in LF and Roberto Clemente in RF) along with Bill Virdon patrolling Center Field might boast the most historic nameworthy for Pirates fans.  Back in the early 90s though the Pirates possessed one of the best hitting outfields with Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, and Bobby Bonilla.

Recently someone was liquidating their Pirates collection and offering cards in bulk lots.  I grabbed 11 cards of Bonds and Bonilla for $4.

The most interesting card of the lot was this Barry Bonds.

The Cracker Jack Donruss mini was a close 2nd

I'm going to try and get back to my roots a bit

Over a decade ago I used to travel the comic book convention circuit and get sketches from my favorite artists of some of my favorite characters.  Back then I had an insane collection of Gambit artwork.

As I have grown older and more wiser, I realize that a playing card tossing Cajun mutant didn't really relate to me anymore. 

I still love the Marvel and DC Comics movies, but I have become a HUGE fan of The Flash and Arrow TV series.  One of my favorite characters from Arrow is the villain known as Deadshot.

When I saw this sketch card from DC Comics Epic Battles, I knew I had to have it.  Matthew Sutton knocked this out of the park.

I'm currently bidding on a few autographs from Arrow Season 1 Trading set.  I don't plan to build the master set, but would like to get autos of some of my favorite actors/actresses from that show.

The Mastermind behind it all

Neal Huntington may not command the rock star status of many other baseball GMs, but there is no doubt he is one of the best in the business.

I just got an auto that cost me $10 delivered.  That's pennies on the dollar which is exactly what Neal has been able to do.

The Pirates offseason wasn't very splashy, but it got the job done.

They acquired an everyday sparkplug catcher who profiles as one of the best pitch framers in the game (Fracisco Cervelli) for a left handed reliever (Justin Wilson)

For an $11M / 4 year contract they got a super utility KBO player who is currently leading all rookies in WAR (Jung Ho Kang).

They resigned AJ Burnett and Francisco Liriano for less than what other teams were offering.

Oh and he traded a very useful bench piece (Travis "Lunchbox" Snider) for 2 lefty prospects and then resigned Lunchbox to a minor league deal leaving Baltimore on the hook for the bulk of the contract.

At the trade deadline, Huntington traded away minor league fillers and cash considerations for J.A. Happ, Joe Blanton, Joakim Soria, Michael Morse and Aramis Ramirez.

Since being acquired by the Bucs, Happ has pitched 21 innings of 2.08 ERA baseball striking out 22 batters.  Blanton, has pitched entirely in relief since being acquired by the Bucs and has been absolutely phenomenal.  In 15 innings, he has allowed just 1 Earned Run and struck out 20.  Soria has also pitched very well in his brief stint allowing only a few Earned Runs over 11 innings of relief.  Combined those three pitcher acquisitions have gotten 5 Wins and 1 save and have a combined ERA of 1.69 over 48 innings. 

On the offensive side of the trade deadline, the Pirates bolstered their bench by getting Aramis Ramirez and Michael Morse to provide on base skills and pop off the bench instead of guys like Steve Lombardozzi and Brent Morel.

He's not splashy, but in Neal I trust. 

Let's Go Bucs!!!!

McCutchen Mailday #110: A Trio of All-Stars

Jason Grilli and Pedro Alvarez were once some of my favorite Pirates.
I still like both as professional athletes, but seeing how many games Pedro's defense has nearly cost the team is wearing thin with me as a fan.

I have already completed my quest for 100 new Cutch cards, but I don't intend to stop adding more cards of Cutch as the year winds down.

$6 Marte Partay!!!!

Stadium Club on card autographs look great.  I'm very happy to add this to my collection.

Welcome Back JHay All Day!!!! HUGE PICKUP!!!

Man am I glad to see this guy back in the starting lineup!!!!

The above booklet is from 2015 Allen & Ginter and features a Josh Harrison autograph along with a piece of his All-Star game jersey worn during the 2014 All-Star event.

JHay led the game off for the Bucs and is already back in his super utility role playing 2B yesterday.

Here's another card of his that I grabbed earlier in the year for around $4

SICK SICK PATCH OF KE'BRYAN HAYES USA JERSEY

I couldn't pass up this amazing patch for less than $15 delivered.

It's the "S" from his Team USA jersey and is numbered to 8/21 which just happens to be today's date.

Morton on the Mound: Pink Mini

Last year I showed the regular release Topps Series 1 pink parallel during the Save Second Base month long Charity event.

I was lucky enough to snag this mini for a cool $5.

Would you guys want to see another event like that?

McCutchen Mailday #109: Miggy Miggy Miggy can't you see...

Earlier in the week I showed off a dual autograph of Future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera and Jason Bay.  Since I am primarily a team collector I normally don't seek out cards with other players unless a guy I collect appears on the card with them. 

This is a card I feel I must have lost 20+ times over the past year.  Fortunately for me there is 49 copies produced and I finally was able to add this triple bat relic of Future Hall of Famer, Miguel Cabrera, along with Cutch and Joey Votto.

It's my first relic of both Cabrera and Votto and my 30th relic to be added this year in my Quest for 100 new Cutch cards.

He was a Pirate? Thank You Edition

Yesterday I attended the Blue Jays vs. Phillies game with one of my coworkers. He's a season ticket holder for the Phils and hooks me up with tickets when the Bucs or Jays come to town. In case you didn't see the highlights from that game look up Josh Donaldson's 2nd deck mammoth HR. It was one of the most impressive home runs I've seen in person.

While we were at the game I kept looking to the scoreboard to see how the Bucs were doing against the DBacks and also the Giants and Cardinals. The Bucs after getting an 8-3 lead in the 8th inning would go on to win the game in the bottom of the 15th.

Meanwhile the Cardinals actually lost a game.  It was mainly because of this former Bucco, Ryan VogelSong.  The former All-Star pitched a gem to shut down the Cardinals offense, allowing only 2 hits over 6 shutout innings.

Thanks to his prior struggles, I finally added a copy of his certified Bowman auto for $15. I've been chasing this card for a few years.

MAJOR MARTE MOJO!!!!!!

On Card Autograph
The letter "T" from Pirates
Numbered to only 10!!!!

Major F-ing mojo with this bad boy!!!!

BayDay BayDay: Gettin Miggy with it!!!!

The 2015 National has come and gone.  I still haven't made it to one yet, but hope to attend it next year.  Earlier in the year, I was trying to grab some autographs of current players who have the potential to be considered future Hall of Famers.

Two years ago, I was sent an Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz dual autograph in exchange for my redemption Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole Face of the Franchise dual autograph.  I still have that dual auto of ARod and Big Papi, but haven't received any serious offers to take it off my hands.  Earlier this year I purchased an Adrian Beltre and Felix Hernandez dual autograph because I consider both guys to be future Hall of Famers. 

Most of my collection that I show off on this site are Pirates related and clearly the Pirates haven't had any future Hall of Famers during the 20 year losing streak.  There could be a stretch argument that Aramis Ramirez could get in the Hall of Very Good, but it's doubtful he's a Hall of Famer.  McCutchen could one day land himself in the Hall if he continues his numbers for another decade. 

While Jason Bay will likely never receive the votes for a Hall of Fame berth, it is highly likely that Miguel Cabrera will be considered a 1st ballot Hall of Famer when he decides to retire.  Miggy has been suffering through injuries this year and has been placed on the DL for the 1st time in his career.  Jason Bay was one of my favorite players for the Bucs during his playing career and the chance to add a jumbo size dual autograph of Jason with Miggy numbered to 10 presented to good an opportunity to pass up. 

I submitted a best offer  on this card after contemplating a reasonable price for a few weeks and I can proudly say I am the new proud owner of this 2006 Hawaiian Trade Conference card. 

To show how large this card is I compared it to my 1991 Bobby Bonilla.

The Prince and the Duke

These cards share no similar connections, but I received them on the same day and figured I would show them off in all their royalty.

First up, a TTM from former Pirates catcher and current manager of the Altoona Curve, Tom Prince.

Next up, an artist proof of Zach Duke from 2010 National Chicle

Zach Duke had an incredible season last year reinventing himself in the bullpen for the Brewers. That short brief stint for the 2009 All-Star earned him a big contract with the White Sox. He has been an acceptable reliever, but not as good as his 2014 season.

The artist, Chris Felix bio is on the back of the card.

Morton on the Mound: Black Mini

Numbered to only 5!!!!

The Bugs are hoping for some cooperation from the Mets and Marlins to bring their games back in the NL Central to only 5.

Let's Go Bucs!!!

I used to hate Topps Tek and now I'm chasing rainbows

I really should have bought a lot more of these Gregory Polanco 2014 Topps Tek parallels last year.  It's very hard to build the rainbow, now that I actually like it.

Here's 3 more of my recent pickups.

McCutchen Mailday #108: Photo Variant 2015 Topps

In my quest for 100 new Andrew McCutchen cards added to my PC this year, I have already added quite a few photo variants including both the 2013 and 2014 Chrome cards.  I also showed off the 2015 Topps Opening Day variant back in May.  The 2015 Topps Heritage photo variant and gum stain variant were the cheapest of the bunch that I have added.  Now I can add the 2015 Topps Photo Variant to the list as well. 

This is a very unique photo variant in that it shows Cutch holding a fan made framed collection of Cutch.  It's a welcomed addition to the Cutch PC which by the way has eclipsed over 600 unique cards of Cutch. 

More Museum relics

Here's some more of my recent 2015 Topps Museum cards I have picked up on the secondary market

Check out that sick quad relic of Jose Bautista I snagged for under $20.  The Jays are steamrolling through the American League now with their intense power hitting mashing offense. 

Here's a jumbo jersey of Neil Walker that I got for under $8

Neil is set to become a free agent after next season.  I suspect that "The Pittsburgh Kid's" days are numbered in the Burgh.  With cost controlled infielders Josh Harrison, Jung Ho Kang, and Alen Hanson all set to be on the roster at some point next year it's likely that Walker has only about 200 games left to try and win a World Series for the team he grew up rooting for. 

I should get Locke-d up for this steal!!!!

For $1 delivered, I grabbed this autograph of Jeff Locke from 2014 Gypsy Queen.

You just can't beat that!!!!
The Bucs got Locke going tonight and I'm hoping he can shut down the Cards.

McCutchen Mailday #106 & 107: 2 More Printing Plates (1 is an error!!!)

I just might be insane as I am continuing to add more and more sick Andrew McCutchen cards to my PC as the year enters the dog days of August.  I've already well passed the goal of adding 100 new Cutch cards to the PC by year's end.

Here's two more 1/1 printing plates (there's more coming too though...)

Everything looks normal from the front, right?

Well...why don't you check out the back of the yellow printing plate and see if you can find the error.

First one to notice it and leave a comment will receive a free care package.

McCutchen Mailday #103, 104, 105: Feeling Artsy

I was thinking about showing off my Jerome Bettis autograph because of his Hall of Fame induction yesterday. Bettis was one autograph i set out to acquire before the year started. I'm going to save all my Steelers cards for Football Sundays though.

Instead thanks to Cutch's 3 for 3 performance yesterday, you'll just see 3 new base cards in my pursuit to add 100 new Cutch cards which I've clearly already completed.

I've said it many times before, but I love art cards.

One of the guys I used to frequently talk to at comic book conentions, Brian Kong, was one of the lead artists for Topps Museum this year.

Panini doesn't have a license, but they produced a fun collectible set in Diamond Kings this year.

Another Joey Bats Auto/Relic?

Yup!!!

Why not???

Numbered 25/25, this marks my 4th Jose Bautista autograph I have added to the PC this year.

Joey Bats hit a crucial HR in the top 10th for the Jays yesterday to triumph over those damn Yankees.

McCutchen Mailday #102: Bat Knob!!!! (sort of)

Manurelics can be annoying.

These aren't!

I actually really like these.
I'm glad that I was able to add a bat knob to my Cutch collection even if its not from a real bat.

Throwback Thursday: An AUTO of the Man that Started it all....

If you were expecting Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Cy Young, etc you will be greatly disappointed with this post.

Elroy Face may not be considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all-time.  He is however, often dubbed as the guy who helped revolutionize the bullpen and an impact it can have on games.

In 1959, Face set a record that is still standing today for collecting 18 wins in relief appearances.  He still holds the Pirates record for career games pitched (802) and saves (188)

Last month I grabbed this beautiful on card chrome autograph of the man formerly referred to as "The Baron" during his pitching career. The card cost me only $7 delivered.

Ke'Bryan Hayes Perfect Game!!!!

No, he didn't throw one, but I grabbed one.

An orange diecut of the Pirates 2015 draft pick

Ooooohhhh. In the past month I've grabbed over a dozen Hayes autographs.

McCutchen Mailday #101: Chrome Parallel

It's hard to follow up with anything but something spectatular after my 100th Cutch card added this year to my PC.  Clearly after acquiring 5 straight 1/1s that wouldn't be possible.

This is the best I could do.

This is the photo variant from 2013 Topps Chrome. They fell roughly 1 per case. Often times these have sold in the $30+ range, but I won this with a best offer of $13 delivered. Sweet grab!

My First Button!!!

Earlier in the year, I showed off my first bat knob to my collection.  It was of my favorite current non Pirate, Jose Bautista.  Today marks another Treasure Room milestone, as I have added my first button card to my collection by acquiring a 2014 National Treasures button.

I think at this point I have acquired enough 2014 National Treasures cards to make a case, but have only spent about two boxes worth on the product.  Reverse boxes are awesome!!!

Morton on the Mound: Smooth as Silk

Since 2011, I have been on the lookout for any of the Charlie Morton 2011 Topps Silk Collection cards.  A seller on eBay has been liquidating his 30,000+ card collection selling many cards in bulk lots, master brand sets, and even some individuals.  I had purchased close to a dozen cards off him along with many master sets (Upper Deck, Fleer Ultra, Donruss, Stadium Club, and Leaf).  During my discussions with him, I asked if he had any numbered parallels of my main PC player, Charlie Morton.

Lo behold he had a few and I swooped in to add this Smooth as Silk edition of Ground Chuck.

It's my 7th copy of the 50 produced.

Seeing Red: Checkmate!

It's been awhile since I showed off a red parallel on the PTR.
Bucs won against the Red Legs!!!!
And it was mostly because of this guy...

Starling Marte single handly saved the game in the 9th inning with his defense.
I hate the Reds