New Year, New Cards

This story starts a couple years ago, well back in 2019, so I guess three years ago.  By 2019, I wasn't blogging as much and to be honest I wasn't really getting an abundance of cards.  I think I was still upset that cards that I bought was never delivered to me a year prior (the whole post office fiasco, which I have moved on from), and honestly, I didn't like the looks of the newer sets.  I was also burnt out from blogging and started looking for other things to do.  So when I had an itch for some cards, I would look for random sales on Listia or Ebay (usually Listia since they were free), or I would go to COMC.  COMC was a great place because not only was I able to buy cards and have them shipped whenever but I also had money in my account.  A couple months ago I thought about it and I think the last time I added money to my account was when I bought a George Brett rookie card was May of 2016 (I had to look it up).  I added 25 bucks, and bought the Brett card for 11.50 (today the cheapest one is on there for around 35 bucks).  Since then all the money in my account has been from bonus credits (from their COMC challenges), the few sales I've done (most were at a loss, but a few I did profit on), and then from a $50 credit for winning one of their Black Friday contests which was in May of 2019.  I've parlayed that to 2021/2022 and as of today I have just under 5 bucks in my account.  My last shipment was Black Friday 2018, and since I am cheap I usually wait until they have free shipping periods to get my cards shipped.  It was shortly after that though they changed their promos and free shipping wasn't guaranteed.  So I figured I would just wait till I got a bunch of cards and have them shipped.  No need to pay 4-5 bucks for 20 cards when I can pay 4-5 bucks for 100 cards right?  In 2019 I figured I'd wait until their Spring Sale in 2020 or maybe Black Friday to get some cards shipped.  Around this time I wasn't buying as much on there, so 100 wasn't really anywhere on my radar, so getting 50 cards would be fine.

Then some kind of virus struck.  People couldn't work, people were stuck at home, people were bored.  None of this should matter to my card collecting hobby (I mean its not like card collecting would start being cool).  Then card collecting started being cool, and for some, a money making venture.  Card collecting was like a poor man's stock market, except before long even the poor man could afford cards.  At any rate none of this should matter to me, once this passes in a couple months, I'll have my cards shipped.  However COMC was hit hard- HARD!  They were still somewhat trying to branch away on their own after working with other companies and for some it didn't sit well.  After the virus broke out, COMC couldn't really work.  When they could, the focus was on Ebay sales.  I'm sure most know this, lets skip ahead.

In August of 2021, it started looking better for COMC, and they sent an email out and blogged their future goals.  Instead of 3 months plus waiting times for shipping, by the end of 2021 the wait time would be under a month.  I thought "no way that will happen, but as long as its down to that by April of 2022, I'll be happy so I can get some cards".  I watched as the months went by, and it was getting better.  Sometime around October was a turning point and they picked up the pace.  In November they talked about their Black Friday sale.  At this point wait times were still around a month and a half, which was acceptable, but still I was cautious.  The Black Friday sale however mentioned if you bought cards during the sale, you would get a shipping credit for early 2022 (which btw, is active in my account as of now), and if you requested a shipment of 100 cards, you would get free economy shipping.  BINGO!  The question was though, how many others would bite, and how backed up again it would get.  The other problem is I had about 115 cards, but I was trying to sell a few myself.  Would I have 100 to ship?  Well, after I bought a few, I also pulled a couple cards I was selling and decided what the hey, let's get these shipped.

When I requested the shipment, they speculated I'd get them shipped December 23rd, and they'd arrive December 28th.  I was very happy with this because by the 23rd most Christmas packages would be shipped, and honestly, less of a chance of my package getting misplaced.  Arriving just after Christmas was fine with me because I just wanted them, and now I could see they would be arriving.  To my surprise (and somewhat my anxiety), they shipped them around the 16th of December, right in the middle of package season.  Luckily everything turned out fine and I got my cards about a week later, a few days before Christmas.

My first thought was to hold off opening them until Christmas, so it could be a gift to myself, but I thought better.  Not that I don't trust COMC, but I wanted to make sure I got all the right cards, so I ripped the box open.  To use a picture for the blog though, I made a nice picture with all the cards, hopefully not spoiling too much.

Some of these cards I've owned but not held in my hands for over 2 years, maybe closer to three.  One thing I noticed that has changed is every card got a piece of paper with it.  Again, I'll spoil what I got, but I thought I'd show it off for those who haven't purchased from COMC in a while.

As you can see, I got a really cool card, and I spent $90 for 101 cards.  Only a couple were over a buck, but I really like how detailed they've become, it makes me feel a bit safer.  I never checked to see if every number matched up, but if I have suspicions its good to have a reference.

So with all that out of the way, I guess I have 101 cards to show.  None featured dalmatians however.

Let's get the big one out of the way, I got the final two TMNT cards to finish the set!  Oh I also got some guy named Ozzie on a piece of cardboard from the 70s.  The Ozzie Smith rookie was one I've wanted for a bit.  I was thinking that despite not really being a set builder and just mostly a Royals collector, I obviously want all the Royals cards and blessed to get the Brett rookie so cheap.  But I thought, were there any other players I really wanted rookies of?  I have Maddux rookies, and pretty sure I have Bonds, and also Jeter.  The only names I could think of was Robin Yount and Ozzie Smith (aside from a few Mizzou players like Max Sherzer).  Nolan would be nice, but I seriously doubt I'd ever own his or Roberto Clemente.  So realistically Ozzie and Yount are the two I'd like.  I don't need gem mint cards, so even if COMC labels them poor, then unless too bad, I can handle it especially if its cheap.  I bought this card early in 2021, and right after I did, the price started to rise.  I held onto it but it kept going up.  I thought to myself, if I could sell it for triple my money, I might offer it.  Prices got close, but when the sale approached I decided I'd hold onto it.  I'm glad I did, it felt right holding it in my hand. The other Ozzie card I first saw around the time I bought the Ozzie card.  It was a Topps Throwback Thursday card from 2019 I think and an online exclusive.  The theme was The Simpsons and they featured 4-5 players who was in the famous Homer At The Bat episode.  Ozzie Smith, Don Mattingly and a couple others were in the set, but the prices were higher than I wanted to pay.  Once I knew I would get the cards shipped, I decided to get it.  The seller had not put the card on sale since I watched it, but he was the only seller.  In the last couple years I've decided to make more offers instead of just paying what they want.  At worst they will decline, but in most cases they accept or give a reasonable counter offer which I usually accept.  Some sellers however will decline and then raise the price (never buy from Joels), but if you find favorite sellers, they are usually nice.  This card was sitting and I actually gave a pretty low offer, like around 40% of what they wanted.  I knew I went in low but figured they would drop it a couple bucks as a counter and I'd gladly accept.  I was shocked the next day to awake that they accepted my offer.  At that point I considered for a couple minutes I could resale it at what I really wanted for it and make a profit.  However I'm not a jerk and greedy, I wanted the card, so I kept it.  Currently the card is sold out, but I'm just happy I found a low numbered card that I might even display.

The Hingis cards were last minute purchases, but ones I've considered for a while.  I don't seek tennis cards, but I've wanted a actual tennis card of Martina Hingis since I got back into collecting.  I have A&G cards of her I think and maybe a SI Kids card, but a tennis set card has eluded me.  I wasn't paying over a buck for one, but for under 1.50 I got both of these. The De'Aaron Fox card I got because I remember him from college and there's a local guy on the radio (and also wrote a book or two) named Aaron Fox, so I thought I'd get it.  I bought a couple extra because I think he could be a star, but like most basketball purchases I make hoping to make a buck or two on, I will lose money on them.  Still I got this one cheap enough that I didn't eat much.  However the biggest card I sold in 2021 on COMC was a Fox card, and I made 10 bucks on it, so I can't complain (though if I held on another month I could have got about 30-40 bucks on it).

The David Freese card I got as part of an offer with a few other cards I wanted more.  I didn't get much of a discount on the cards, but I was still happy with the card I got (I'll show them in a bit).  The Freese card I kind of just threw in to get a somewhat better deal.  Since he did go to Mizzou (not as an athlete) I can still put him in my Mizzou collection, so its still good.  The Gibson I got because like most others I bought it was cheap and I PC him.  The Hunter Greene cards I bought as investments but I ended up keeping.  I still hope he pans out, I was excited reading about him at 17 in SI Kids magazine, so its always good to see a player still in high school then make it big.  The Alstott I added because it was cheap and its a PC I've neglected for a while.  The Mercole Hardman card I got because I thought he'd be a big star. It's looking less likely to happen, but I still like him so I don't regret the purchase.  I don't collect as much football, but I'm glad I have that card.  I got the Schottenheimer because I didn't own any of his cards.  I found this card second and bought it.  I also have one from his playing days, but after buying it I had remorse, so for now I have it for sale on COMC, I'll take a little loss on it just so I can maybe find another card I want more.  If not, I'll have it shipped.  The hockey card I got because its a Kansas City Blades card, and I like to have at least one card of every sports team who's called Missouri home.  So this is likely my first Blades card... and it was cheap.

I've wanted a Michael Annett autograph for a few years, and finally bought one, right before he got hurt then decided to retire from full time racing.  I've always been a fan since my time working at a Pilot station and that was his sponsor.  I rarely get to see Xfinity races, but since NBCSN shuttered and all races will move to USA Network I had hopes in 2022 that I'd get to see him race more.  Them's the brakes.  When I bought the Hardman jersey card, I thought I got a good deal.  Now its available for cheaper, but I'm not too mad.  On the flip side, since buying the Missouri flag patch, the price has gone up.  The card looks so much better in hand, and might be one of my favorite purchases, aside from the Ozzie rookie.  After hearing of Ned Beatty's passing, I wanted a card of him.  I've seen this card for sale on COMC for a while, and it was dirt cheap, so I figured I might as well get it.  Not a lot of cards of him was made, so if I ever get the itch to make some custom cards again, I might make one for him.  I haven't thought of customs in a while, but maybe this year I'll consider it.  Anyways, another Missouri card rounds out this bunch.  I'm a sucker for cards of my state, and won't be against buying cheap Highway Patrol or Fire Engine card if I find them.  Again, cheap!

Thought I'd speed it up a bit.  The top batch is all players who went to Mizzou. Nick Bolton has been surprisingly good for the offensive line of the Chiefs this year, and glad I was able to get 2021 cards.  Albert O is still with Denver, and maybe if Drew Lock starts playing better and is their starter next year, we can see some of the magic they shared at Mizzou (unless they play the Chiefs, then they can lose).

The bottom batch is almost all Maddux.  First the Damon card I got because I don't know if I have any of his Detroit days, so getting a lone non-Royal Damon was a good purchase, and cheap.  The Maddux cards are all ones I obviously didn't have, some old, some new.  The Topps Living Set card is my favorite because I had no desire to buy any of the Living Set, and it actually looks nicer in hand than the card shows.  I guess the upside to Fanatics buying Topps is the Living Set can continue.  I'm not sure outside of a couple guys I'd buy cards of merely for the price of the cards themselves.  This was another rare $5+ card, but it was another one I haggled with the price to get cheaper, by almost a buck or two, so I was happy.  I forgot the Annett auto I also haggled for a cheaper price by a buck or more.  I know a buck or two isn't a lot, but for me that means a lot especially since seeing a lot of cards under 50 cents on COMC is a rate sight.  $1 used to mean maybe 3 card or 5 cards for $2, now you'll be lucky to get 2 cards for a buck and sometimes 3 or 4 cards for $2.  If I ever want to risk cardbarrel again, it might be the place to find cheap cards again.  Maybe sportslots, but I've never dealt with them.  I imagine COMC is my best bet for now.

Speaking of Drew Lock, I added this patch card in 2020 or maybe 2019 and have had it for sale a few times.  If I made a profit on it, I'd be happy, but if not I would gladly accept it into my collection.  He hasn't panned out like a lot have hoped, but if he can have a career like Blaine Gabbert or Chase Daniel it wouldn't be something to sneeze at.  Chase might be a career backup, but he's smart enough to keep getting good contracts and he's teaching a lot of QBs, he'll be a good coach one day.  Blaine I still say got a raw deal (they should have sat him his first year), but he's still in the league so he must have some value.

The J'Den Cox was a fairly new discovery, and I fell in love with it when I saw it.  It represent Mizzou well.  I'm watching a couple other of his cards and might buy another.  The next batch is more Mizzou related players and people.  It seems like I can't pass up a De'Marre Carrol card.  I'll keep buying them if they are cheap.  I got all these cheap, including the Jontay Porter card.  I also had a card of his brother Michael, but I did flip that card for a few bucks.  I did it at the right time as right after, the card fell back down to earth.  I could rebuy one I think now for about what I paid before.  Not a bad deal, but just haven't yet, maybe because he really never played for Mizzou aside from an exhibition game.  Another card I wanted was Robert Loggia, he went to Mizzou and I always liked his acting, so when I found this cheap, I grabbed it.  Its weird to thing he got a card from the National.

The bottom batch is random stuff.  The Hosmer card I needed at the time of purchase, and even around the time I had it shipped, however I won a Listia auction around the same time and I had that card in hand before this one arrived.  Not too mad, its still a cool card.  While technically a George Brett card, I wanted this Howie Long card for a bit, so I finally pulled the trigger on it.  I waited for it to get cheaper, and it finally did. The Damon card I think I purchased in 2019, so it was nice to finally have on hand.  The one though I was happiest to have in this batch though was the Denny Matthews.  As I've stated many times before, I grew up listening to him call the games on the radio.  It is one of the few card on the COMC site that I've owned and seen go up in price nicely that I never considered selling.  Not a lot of cards feature him, so I wouldn't want to miss out on possibly having the only chance to own it.

Remember the David Freese earlier, well a good chunk of these Coca Cola cards were bought in the same transaction.  I had a few of the cards and worked to finish the set, so after getting these, I have finished the set.  It reminds me when I used to do posts on team sets I finished, maybe 2022 will see a return to that.  I've finished a few lately, mostly 1-2 cards, but still better than I thought.  More Royals in the second batch.  I got all of them cheap, yet the Bo Jackson card for some reason had a high resale value.  I bought it for 69 cents.  A few months later people had some for 20 bucks, some were selling for 10 bucks or so.  Later only one seller had a card for sale, for 33 bucks.  He always had it on sale for around 11, but I decided to see if I could have some luck.  I put 15-22 bucks on the card, but no interest.  I'm not mad, it finishes the team set, so either way I would have been happy.  Though 15 extra buck could have bought a few more cards.

The bottom batch is more current cards.  Full disclosure, I haven't watched the Royals or MLB as much in the last 2-3 years so I know some of the younger guys by name only.  I'm not sure what to make of the design of this Stadium Club series, but I do believe I finished the team set, so its another one to cross off, especially nice since it was never officially on my want list.

A nice oddball lot of cards, burgers, cereal, and hot dogs, and tacos.  The Lorenzo Cain card was a bit more than I wanted to pay but I still haggled for it.  I'm not mad.  The Brett Does It card is double sided, Brett is the backside, and Robin Yount is on the front.  I could have made a buck on it, but its one I have wanted for a while so I kept it.  The problem with having cards sit in you collection for 2 or so years is you see some of the prices rise and you are tempted to sell them.  Honestly, 90% of the cards I've sold is for that reason or buyers remorse.  The other 10% is my greediness in trying to make a few bucks. The bottom row is all cards I had no desire to flip, the Club 3000 one being the one I held the longest.  It's also one of the few I think I had on my most wanted list like 5 years ago.  I think I will update that list this year, and its nice to knock that off.  If I ever get motivated the Club 3000 set would be one I'd like to build since I remember having a few when I first collected.  The Appier card was a more recent buy, and the only Royal one in the set.  I'm currently watching a Greg Maddux from the same set.

More Royals, not much to say other than I have A Alex Gordon rookie card, not THE Alex Gordon rookie card.  I will be fine just having this one.  This was not only the first time owning a Topps Living Set card, but a Topps Now card, so that was a nice Salvador Perez purchase.  On the bottom possibly the card I've held onto the longest was the orange Moustakas card.  It doesn't scan well, so I added a shade closer to what it looks like in hand.  

Before I show the final batch of cards, I thought I'd show this lot of cards I won on Listia so I don't have to show them later.  This was the batch that also had the Hosmer card I mentioned earlier.  It was actually 36 cards, with the bulk being the Score cards in the top row.  I think only 5 or 7 of the cards were ones I needed, but they were cheap enough that it was still a good deal.  I didn't bother trying to tell which version of Donruss I got, but maybe something I'll revisit one day.  Just having a card was good enough than finding every variation of a dot, no dot, and all that other stuff.  I think I even finished a set with this batch, so never a bad thing.

Okay, obviously the Ozzie Smith rookie and the Greg Maddux Living Set cards were the highlights of this batch, however I have one more card to show that has made me some money and allowed me to upgrade.  Some might say its a better purchase than the Ozzie, and I might actually agree with them.

While officially in my collection it will be known as the U.L. Washington rookie card that will help me finish the Royals team set, it could also hold a place in my Paul Molitor PC or my Alan Trammell PC.  This is a nice RC to own, and one I upgraded.  Though I have to say I didn't notice the spot on it when I bought it.  Could it be the wrong card, maybe, but I'm not mad.  I bought the card originally in 2019 and it was in poor shape.  Later in the year one was selling at a discount about a buck more than what I paid and it was in good condition.  I bought it figuring to upgrade.  As it turned out, the price went up more and when I sold the poor condition card, it was almost the price I paid for both cards, in essence I paid like a dollar for my card.  Then I found another one for sale and cheap.  I wondered if lightning could strike twice, and a couple months later, I made about 4 bucks on the cards, so in reality I bought 3 cards, sold two for a profit and the one I kept I paid zero out of pocket and made a couple bucks.  I was elated.  Its a card I go back to but don't really want to risk getting burned.  Though as I said, I could always add another to the aforementioned PCs.  The rest of this batch is nothing to sneeze at, and its possible I never seen the Brett Score card before.  Overall, the cards arrived before I expected, I have a shipping credit, and I got some amazing cards.  I was able to get 101 cards for under 90 bucks, and it included an Ozzie Smith rookie, and an Alan Trammell/Paul Molitor rookie, as well as an autograph or two, a few on demand cards, some inserts, and team sets.  The best part is none of that 90 bucks came out of my pocket.  I can not find a reason to be mad.

I think its safe to say COMC has returned in a big way at the end of 2021, and I'm already ready to try to buy a few more cards to ship.  It just means I need to update my collections so I don't rebuy stuff.  If this is how 2021 ends and 2022 begins for me, I'll be a happy collector and blogger.

That wraps it up for today, sorry for such a long post, but I'd rather writer long posts with pictures then a few words just to post updates.  Thanks to all of you who have continued to stick around for my sporadic postings, and I hope to have another one soon.  Mayne not as long, but hopefully as exciting as this one.  Have a great week!