McCutchen Mailday #29: Ginter Booklet Part Deux

Last December, I showed off a gorgeous 2015 Allen & Ginter autograph and prime patch booklet numbered to 10.  Another one recently hit eBay so I picked that up as well. 

The previous booklet (shown below) I had numbered 4/10 appeared to be the "P" on the Pirates front alternate black uniforms. 

This appears to be the top part of the "P" from the same uniform.

Another awesome addition to the Cutch PC as I have continued to grow it to record levels the past few years. 

Merry Christmas to All!!!!

Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends out there.

I didn't get a lot of cardboard for Christmas this year, but I did get this awesome booklet card of current Penguins defenseman, Olli Maatta.  Olli is quickly becoming one of my favorite Penguins and I had not had an autographed card of him until today.

Thanks to my lovely girlfriend, I now own an autograph and sweater swatch of the young upcoming Dman.

Again I wish everyone out there a Happy and Safe and Merry Christmas!

McCutchen Mailday #251, 252, and 253: 3 MORE 1/1s

I have already added an insane amount of Andrew McCutchen cards to my collection this year.
I've even added almost 40 1/1s to the PC this year.  That would be exciting for any collector.  However, I really think that I have outdone myself with this recent group of cards I have purchased.

I got in contact with a seller who has dealt me some nice Cutch cards in the past that he's won in group breaks and beaten me on eBay a few times.  I was trying to win a triple booklet of Cutch's All-Star sleeve from 2015 Triple Threads but ended up losing it.  Patience proved to be a virtue as after a few months, I was able to acquire from the winning bidder.

This card (along with it's custom case I will never remove it from) is now the highlight of my Cutch collection.

Behold the beauty of a 1/1 triple booklet All Star Sleeve patch!!!

The customized red case really makes this card pop.

This is what it looked like before putting it in the custom case

Also from the same seller were two other nice 1/1s including only my 2nd button in the collection

Oh and another letter...

McCutchen Mailday #240: The Big One!!!!!

Here's a booklet that I was trying to get since I saw 2015 Allen & Ginter get released.  I lost two previous versions of this booklet.  One of them had a huge patch of the Jolly Roger sleeve which I was very upset about being sniped on.  The other, was less impressive than this one. 

This marks my 91st unique Andrew McCutchen autograph to be added to my PC. 
It's also getting me into double digits for booklets of Cutch.

I love that this jumbo patch likely features the "P" for the Pirates alternate black jersey.  It's a massive 3 color patch.

When I set out to acquire 100 new Cutch cards this year, I never imagined being able to add the quality and quantity to my PC that I've been able to.

McCutchen Mailday #117: Griffey, Bo!, Mr. October, Harper, Kemp 5 Tool Booklet

I know I have said it several times this year, but this might be the best McCutchen I have added so far this year.  It features Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr, the best two sport athlete ever Bo Jackson, Cutch, the Phenom Harper, and some guy named Matt Kemp.

WOW!!!!

Check out the patches on Cutch and Harper!!!!

only 3 of these were produced

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

McCutchen Mailday #84: Cole & Cutch booklet 1/5

Whaaaaaaat!!!!????? Another booklet?????!!!!!

I couldn't resist adding this 1/5 booklet from 2014 Museum to my collection featuring the top pitcher and position player in the Pirates new millenium.

It's my first DUAL relic booklet of Cutch I have added this year in my Quest to add 100 new Cutch cards to my PC in 2015.

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.

Joey Bats Booklet Numbered to 10!!!

Jose Bautista is my favorite non current Pirate.  When I saw this awesome low numbered booklet (only 10 copies) with Joey Bats spelled out, I knew I had to add it to my collection for $11.

I've been wanting to add more Joey Bats cards to my collection this year and this is my first booklet of the former Pirate and former HR Champ.

I also pulled this card in a Target pack recently

If anyone has any Jose Bautista cards they are looking to unload...please hit me up!

This is what a high end Hall of Fame Cut Auto should look like...

This week has been a powerhouse week at the PTR. Dont believe me? Go back to Sunday to see how it started.

Last week, I showed off a Roberto Clemente bat relic numbered 6/25.  It was my 15th bat relic of the Hall of Famer.  I stated that I would do a reverse box of 2014 National Treasures this year and will likely have a lot of fun tracking down these high end cards.  The Pirates Pittsburgh Baseball Club is well represented in 2014 National Treasures with current players and Hall of Famers.

One such player that has some great looking Cut Auto Booklets /10 is Hall of Famer Willie Stargell.  Known to the fanbase as Pops for his leadership role on the 1979 World Series Championship team, Stargell has a great signature and for the most part it's also very affordable.

I've seen a handful of Stargell's booklets from National Treasures end up in the $125+ range, but I was fortunate to win this auction for only $81 delivered.  Now you're probably thinking $81 is a lot to spend on one card when you're trying to do a reverse box....and you're right.

I'm currently way over budget at $145 on two cards that my budget for said cards was $106.  I have a lot of ground to make up as I accumulate the remaining 6 cards of my reverse box.  Honestly though, I can't complain about having a HOF cut auto and jumbo bat relic numbered /10 along with a Clemente bat relic numbered /25 for the prices paid though.  I know it sounds crazy to think two cards for $145, but for these two beloved Pittsburgh icons, that's a great deal.

With 3 more guaranteed autographs, and a combination of gem, relic, auto left I know that I will be able to complete the remaining 6 cards for less than $280.  I am allowed to spend $46 per card to finish under the allowed amount.

Savings Start Now!

Football Sunday: Le'veon Bell Book with On Card Auto and patches!!!!

The Steelers are rolling lately with Big Ben leading the charge.  Ben is the first QB in NFL history to throw back to back 6 TD games.  Think about that for a second...

2013 Topps Five Star Booklet 8/15

One of the Steelers best offensive weapons this year is running back Le'veon Bell.  Bell is a dual threat to both run and receive the football.  So far this season, Bell has 1 rushing touchdown and 2 receiving touchdowns.  He's already got 711 rushing yards and 433 receiving yards.  In recent weeks, Bell has been used more as a receiver while on the field and you've seen the results of the Steelers offense exploding because of the dual threat.

The above 2013 Topps Five Star Booklet is the nicest football card I own.  Bell is my current favorite player, just slightly above Antonio Brown, and I really wanted to get 1 nice card of him.  I've decided that for my Steelers and Penguins collections that I would go with the less is more way of collecting.  Less quantity, but better quality.  The above Bell card is what can be expected going forward for my Steelers collection.

The Steelers got the Jets today and I'm hoping to score some tickets to go to the game.  If not, it's looking like another day at the pub cheering on the black n yellow.

A super sweet Dual Auto Booklet featuring Gerrit Cole and Zack Wheeler

With the injury plagued season that Gerrit Cole has had this year, his card prices have dropped substantially.  He's only made 2 starts since June.  This is good for me as it allows me to add some rather nice autographs and patches of his for less than normal prices.

Such was the case for the above dual ON CARD auto of Gerrit Cole and Zack Wheeler.  I've seen this card sell in the $35 - $50 range before and was very lucky to get it for literally a fraction of that price.  The card is hand signed and numbered to only 20 copies.  I've been wanting to get a Zack Wheeler autograph so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to add his John Hancock to my collection.  Wheeler has been a very consistent pitcher this year with a mid 3 ERA and averaging just under a strikeout per inning.  He will need to allow fewer walks in order to become a true front of the rotation pitcher though.

The Jason Bay Partner Project is COMPLETE!!!! Russell Martin, Erik Bedard, Rich Harden, and Shawn Hill help out BOOKLET

FINALLY!!!! AFTER ALMOST 2 YEARS!!!!
I have successfully added 38 unique players appearing on a relic or autograph card with Jason Bay to my collection.  This was a fun project and maybe one day I would like to get 38 jersey/bat relics and 38 autographs.  But for now, I AM HAPPY!!!

I can cross that off my 2013 Goals.

2008 Triple Threads Booklet (3/3) TTRDC16 CANADA

This was the final card I won from the ebay seller selling off a large Jason Bay collection.  The seller neglected to include full names in the description of the item which I think helped my chances of winning this extremely low numbered booklet.  Featured on the card are jersey swatches from Russel Martin, Erik Bedard, Rich Harden, and Justin Morneau.  Jason Bay has part of a patch and Shawn Hill (a pitcher) features a bat relic.  What's most fascinating to me is that the 3 players on the left hand side of the card have all played with the Pirates at some point in the career.  CAN the Pirates finish above .500 this year?  Yes they CAN!!!!  Get it?  That's a joke, son.

I now sit at 38 different players to have either an autograph or relic with the 2004 Rookie of Year. 38 DIFFERENT PLAYERS APPEARING ON A MEMORABILIA OR AUTOGRAPH CARD WITH JASON BAY!!!!
Here's a list of the others that I have memorabilia cards with Jason Bay 
*if bold and yellow it means I also have an autograph of them with Bay too

Albert Pujols
Alex Rios
Alfonso Soriano
Andruw Jones
Bill Madlock
Bobby Crosby
Carlos Lee
Craig Wilson
David Wright
Edgar Martinez
Erik Bedard
Freddy Sanchez
Gary Carter
Jacoby Ellsbury
JD Drew
Jose Castillo 
Justin Morneau 
Ken Griffey Jr.
Kenny Lofton
Mario Lemieux
Mark Teixeira
Manny Ramirez
Matt Holiday
Nick Markakis
Ralph Kiner
Rich Harden
Russell Martin
Shawn Hill
Torii Hunter
Xavier Nady

And here is a list of the players that I have autograph cards with Jason Bay

Adam LaRoche
Bill Mazeroski
Casey Kotchman
Dale Murphy
Dave Parker
Dustin Pedroia
Tom Gorzelanny
Willie Parker

McCutchen Monday: Quite possibly the greatest card in my collection

My current favorite player in baseball today is Andrew McCutchen.  Quite honestly, he might be my favorite player I've ever gotten a chance to see play. I currently own almost 300 unique cards of Cutch and hope to get that number closer to 400 by the end of the year.  Amongst my cardboard collection of Cutch are many autographs, over a dozen 1/1s, and almost enough jersey material to put his jersey back together.  Back in 2011, I created Morton Mondays, but with the lack of Charlie Morton cards available, I changed it to McCutchen Mondays so each Monday I will show off one new card from my Cutch collection.

To see all my Andrew McCutchen relics, autos, printing plates, manupatches, etc ... check out this link.

The 2013 MLB All-Star Game festivities kick off tonight with Pedro Alvarez representing the Pirates in the Home Run Derby.  To celebrate the Pirates having 5 All-Stars make the NL squad, I'm going to show off one of my favorite cards in my collection.

2012 Topps Triple Threads All-Star Game Jersey Laundry Tag booklet 1/1

It's a 1/1 booklet from 2012 Topps Triple Threads featuring a laundry tag of Cutch.  I have a Panini National Treasures Laundry Tag card of Cutch which I showed off last month.  As nice as that card is, this card is just flat out ridiculous!!!!

It has a piece of the patch from the 2011 All-Star game jersey along with his laundry tag and authentication sticker from MLB on the card.

Don't believe Topps' jersey relics are authentic?  Well I guess MLB.com is lying too.

And just to show off the outside of the booklet I did a scan of that too.

This is my 6th booklet of Cutch!!!!  
The 1st booklet I owned featuring Kemp, Pence, Braun, Heyward, Upton, and Cutch is here
My dual auto/dual relic booklet with HOF Ralph Kiner can be seen here
The bat barrel nameplate of Cutch with a letter nameplate of Pedro Alvarez can be seen here
My 2010 Triple Threads auto and nameplate booklet can be seen here
My auto and quad relic booklet of Cutch from 2011 Topps Marquee is here

Jason Bay to return tonight

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Jason Bay is likely to return to the Mets lineup tonight against the Nationals.  Bay has been plagued with injuries since signing with the Mets in 2010.  He's been on the DL with a broken rib. 

It's going to be nice to see Jason start to get regular playing time when he returns.  He'll likely be inserted back into his home in left field and bat somewhere around the middle of the lineup.  The Mets have been playing well without Bay. 

My Jason Bay hits collection currently sits at 90!!!!

Another player that has had to deal with injuries a lot over the past couple seasons is Justin Morneau.  It wasn't too long ago that he was an MVP for the AL.  However in his 2010 and 2011 seasons combined he has only played 150 games.  The Twins despite having a healthy Justin Morneau recently have not been playing well all season since his return from the DL.  I manage to pick up the dual auto 4 jersey swatch 2007 UD Black card above for $20 off the bay.  This brings my Jason Bay dual auto total to 5. 

I finally got myself a Jason Bay booklet.  It's kinda lame and not very thick, but it features a patch of JB.  It's numbered out of 99.  The seller also included the below card for free because he incorrectly showed it in the auction, but didn't mention it was included.

So I got both of these Pirates Dynasty Foundation booklets for $18.
The booklet also features Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski, Jack Wilson, and Craig Wilson.  it would be really nice to fin a booklet with all 5 relics on it.  That sounds a bit more expensive though.

I picked up this 2006 Bowman Buyback Original AUTO off COMC a few months back for $15.  I'm not a huge fan of buyback encased cards, but this one is Jason Bay's jersey number (38) when he was with the Bucs.  Besides it was cheaper than buying a blaster.

This was a card I had sitting in my needs to be scanned pile for quite some time.  It's a quad jersey card featuring Andruw Jones, Alfonso Soriano, Jason Bay, and Alex Rios.  Not a single player pictured on this card is still with their same team from 2006.  This was had rather cheaply if I remember.  I think it was around $12 or so. 

McCutchen Monday: 2010 Triple Threads Booklet

I've been reading a lot of good books lately.  My most recent one is about a letter that got misplaced in a baseball card of one of the most electrifying center fielders in Pirates history.

Sure it's no T206 Honus Wagner card, but this marks my 5th Andrew McCutchen booklet.  This is quite possibly my second favorite Cutch booklet.  The card features an auto of Cutch where he still used to sign most of his full name as opposed to his current signatures that just feature ACutch.  It also has the letter U from his jersey (possibly from McCutchen or Pittsburgh since it is a road jersey by the grey fabric)  There's also 2 other unique pieces of patch.  The card is numbered 1/3. 

To recap my other Cutch booklets, I'll show them off below.

 

 

What do you think of my Cutch book collection?  Which is your favorite?

The Pirates will face off against the Marlins today in a 2 game series in Miami.  The Marlins have had lots of dramatic walkoffs since moving into their new stadium.  Here's hoping the Bucs can at least split the 2 game series.  Let's Go Bucs!

This card is bad ass!

 Another Andrew McCutchen booklet for my collection

How awesome is this card?
Booklet? Check
Favorite Team? Check
Favorite Player? Check
Vintage Uniform used on card? Check
Auto? Check
Jersey? Check
hint of a color patch? Check

Yup, this card is badass!!!!

New Cutch Booklet

Just wanted to show off my newest dual auto dual bat booklet featuring Andrew McCutchen and Ralph Kiner.  This card recognizes the feat that Cutch did during his rookie year when he hit 3 HR in a single game becoming just one of 13 Pirates to do so.  Ralph Kiner accomplished the feat 4 times while in a Bucs uniform.

This 2010 Bowman Sterling booklet marks my 3rd Andrew McCutchen booklet, but my first booklet with Cutch's signature on it.  Keep your eyes on this blog as my McCutchen collection continues to grow.

The greatest card in my collection and a rant

"Never say never" Neal Huntington said regarding a trade of Andrew McCutchen.  Ok, later on he goes on to say that the team interested in Cutch would have to greatly overpay, but c'mon the Pirates should be trying to lock up Cutch long term and encourage him to stay in Pittsburgh.  They shouldn't be even considering trading one of the league's top young athletes who still has 4 years of control left.  Saying things like this makes me question if Neal believes in his plan.  Andrew McCutchen should become a lifetime Pirate whose number is one day retired next to Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, Willie Stargell, and all the other Pirate greats.  This comment really pissed me off.

Not since Barry Bonds, have the Pirates had a legitimate young superstar outfielder.  Sure Andy Van Slyke was a gold glover and had 20/20 seasons, but Cutch brings so much flare and energy when he plays.  He's a future super star of the league.  He just turned 25 a few months ago, so he hasn't even hit his peak yet. 

I was waiting for something important to happen to highlight this gem, but you folks are getting it today.  I'm going to show off my favorite 1/1 of Andrew McCutchen in my collection along with a 2011 Topps Triple Thread card I recently won for $18 off ebay.

THAT'S RIGHT!!!!! FUTURE PHENOM!!!!!

2011 Topps Triple Threads Future Phenoms Sepia 19/25 AUTO JERSEY

and without further waiting......

my

favorite

relic

of

Andrew

McCutchen

IN

MY

COLLECTION

SO

FAR

2011 Allen & Ginter Booklet 1/1 AGBC21

Andrew McCutchen BAT BARREL & PEDRO ALVAREZ multi lettered jersey

This is now my second Cutch booklet card.  I can't wait to get more, but it's going to be tough to top this one..