New Old Stock, An Ebay Order

In 2016 I really liked the Topps design of their base set.  So much so that I'm slowly working on finishing the set.  However in 2017 I didn't really like their design and money started to get tight.  I decided at that point that I would likely stop buying new packs unless I needed to scratch an itch and rely on just getting Royals cards through trades, or online sales, or card shops and shows (least likely since I never go to any).  Since then I've mostly stuck to it and have only bought a few packs.  I did buy some wrestling and such but held off on baseball.

A couple months ago my sister gave me a gift card for Ebay.  Since then I've looked on Ebay off and on trying to find something to buy.  It's funny when I have no money I find stuff I want, but when I get the chance to get it, I'm more tight with the money.  Most of my watched items aren't card related, but a few are.  Then a couple weeks ago I got an email saying I got a $5 credit to use on Ebay.  Combine that with the gift card, I was able to find something I'd really want.  So I looked a little more and nothing really stood out.  A week later I looked at the email again and I had 4 days left to use it (I thought I had a month).  I frantically starting to search for something but if not, I had a couple ideas.  Anyways, I found a nice auction that was cheap and if I read it right seemed like a steal.  My only worry was getting sniped.

3.....2.....1.........2......1....0!  I'm not sure why the hiccup but I ended up winning the auction.  I had to raise my bid once, but did realize that the other buyer maxed out his bid, so I didn't have to overspend much.  After using the 5 buck credit, it cost me $8.01, which I took care of with the gift card.  Now, did I really read it right?  2018 Royals team sets.... 15 sets total.... over 100 cards?

We'll see.  I saw pictures, and honestly I thought I was reading it wrong and it was only 15 cards.  I'd have been mad if that was the case.

The package arrived a few days later (I figured it might be delayed due to, well, you know the news about a virus going around), so I was excited.  I opened it up, and that looks like 100 cards!  Things are looking great!  However, Jim Gantner as the top card worried me.  Did they give me the wrong package?

Uh, I think I have these already, and besides them not being Kansas City Royals, they are most definitely 2018.  This isn't looking so good.

Turns out, they used those older cards as protector cards that separated the real cards from the packing peanuts.  Full disclosure, I didn't really look into 2018 sets all that much so not only will 99% of these be new to me, I also don't plan on recognizing any of the sets.  The Donruss card doesn't look bad besides airbrushing the logos, but I still like it.  The Big League cards are ones I heard about, but never looked into.  I like this one, so maybe I'll like the rest.

I haven't scanned or photographed cards in a while, so I wasn't sure which was the better way to do it, so I tried it both ways.

While I scanned or photographed every card, I won't comment on every one.  I was surprised to find the black and white George Brett card as I'm sure its a short print.  I shouldn't expect Short Prints in a package like this, but I think I got it on accident.  I actually didn't get one of the regular base cards, so its fine.  I think I am missing a couple base cards total from the sets I got, and the other sets just missing the Short Prints.  I can't complain since I got 100 cards for under 10 bucks.

It's nice to get some of the younger stars, and think that is my first Jackson Kowar, and Brady Singer, so that was nice.  I was really surprised to get so many Bo Jackson and George Brett cards.  I was torn on it because it either means the Royals can't develop new stars, the card companies rely too heavily on old stars, the card companies produce too many sets and need to fill the sets somehow.... or  a combination of all.

I still like Archives cards, my favorites of this set are the Perez and Gordon cards. The bottom I had to crop Brian Flynn and Trevor Oaks and Eric Stout off a bit, but you get the idea of what the cards look like.  I have to admit the 2018 Topps design looks a lot better than the 2017 set.

So I went ahead and took pictures of the rest.  They aren't the best quality, but here they are.

The Heritage cards look pretty nice as well.  The Big League cards are pretty good as well.

Overall, I was really happy with the purchase.  I actually completed a few team sets, and only missing a couple cards on the rest (multi team cards and short prints mostly).  It was likely the only way I would have got Bowman Platinum, Donruss Optic, or A&G so it was worth it.  I don't really have plans to work on 2018 much more right now, and the same can be said for 2017 (which I have some), 2019, or even 2020, but I still have money on my gift card, and if I find a good deal I'll possibly bid on some.  If I don't it will likely be spent on a random mix of other stuff I don't need.  There are a few cards on my wantlist I'm watching, so its possible I go ahead and get them.  Speaking of which, its been a few years since I did my most wanted cards, maybe a future post will be an updated version.

Since the World is a little crazy right now, my priorities aren't exactly on cards, but I haven't been in the mood to do much else, so its possible working on cards is, well, in my cards.  If not I have more computer cleaning to do and some more VHS tapes to convert, so I should be busy for a while.  I hope everyone finds a way to deal with the extra burdens you may be facing, and I hope the few extra minutes you spent reading this took your mind off the more troubling issues we are facing.  Thank you so much for reading, and have a nice day.