Recent Savvy Shopping

While I've fallen somewhat behind on showing items I've bought at my favorite local second hand store, I can't say I've bought a lot of stuff as of late.  However I have a couple posts to show of items I've gotten.  This one will focus on my most recent visit about 2-3 weeks ago.  So let's dig in.

Let's start with something I was going to use for a project.  As some of you may or may not know, I was once a really big fan of the Miami Hurricanes football team.  This was for most of the 90's into the mid 2000's.  I started to lose interest around that time because I was partially burnt out from sports and because I started becoming a fan of Mizzou football.  However, I would still root for Miami if I saw them on TV.  It's been a few years but I've been able to watch most of their games on TV this year and became a fan again.  One thing they have is called the Turnover Chain.  When someone gets a turnover (INT or fumble or whatever) once the play is over, they usually race to the sidelines where someone or they themselves put on this heavy Mr. T like chain around their neck and pose for the crowd.  It's hugely popular and I decided I wanted to make one.  However I'm cheap and don't have the cash for a gold chain so I thought about how to make one.  Then I thought I could use beads.  This store has a ton of these that they basically are two steps away from tossing, so I got 10 orange beads with a casino logo piece on each (which I already took off) for a nickel.  After I got home I couldn't figure out how I wanted to actually make this chain work, and then Miami started losing and I basically lost interest in it.  I still might do something with it though.  I thought about making a Mizzou chain of some sort and dipping these in black and gold paint but I'm not sure.  I just remembered though that the store also had red and green beads so I might make a trip and stock up on some.  They could work well with something else I bought that I'll show in a bit.

When I was a kid, we had something similar to this that we use to put our mail in.  When I spotted this, I figured it was worth getting for nothing else but to remember my childhood.  However the one we had was real heavy, and this is really light made of Aluminum I guess.  Still I'll find some use for it.

My mom likes puzzles and so this was on the 10 cent table and figured why not.  I forgot what the date was for this puzzle, but I don't think it was a historic one.  Either way a puzzle for 10 cents isn't bad.

Time for books.  Even though I'll likely never read them.  However when my mom and I go, she usually finds about 5 or 6 and I find a few as well.  It's usually 10 for a quarter or a quarter each so 10 books it is.  This was a last second grab so we could get to 10, but I have to admit I did like the movie of Bagger Vance so maybe one day I'll give this a shot.

When I saw this book, it was worth grabbing.  I've heard about this book and so I couldn't pass it up.  I might even read it soon.  I was reminded of it just a couple days ago when I saw that it was Darryl Kile's birthday.  His death is mentioned in this book and while I can't remember all the details of what this book is about, I still think it will be a good read.

Jose Canseco?  Roger Clemens?  Hottest New Stars?  You know this book is old.  Its still in pretty good shape too I have to admit.  I thumbed through it when I got it but haven't read it just yet.  I don't think there would be too much information about these guys in this book I wouldn't know already, but it could be fun to check out.  I don't think they make books like these anymore but if they did I wonder who they would include.  My guesses would be Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and a few more that in a few years we'd laugh at when someone called them a "star".  Not to take anything away from them, but it was always fun revisiting these books to see the hits and misses they made on their selections.

The whole reason I got books at all on this trip was because of this one.  A 1988 St. Louis Cardinals Media Guide.  This book is awesome.  I love the information included in any media guide, but coming off a World Series, I like to see what they include.  I'll never pass up a Media Guide for under a quarter, and this was no exception.  Now if I could find a few more like these.

I got another book but didn't photo it.  It was a kids book that had a bunch of lists and information.  It was pretty cool and I did read that cover to cover already as it had many interesting tidbits in it.  So that was my trip and I think I came out pretty good.

I have a couple more pics to show, this is from a trip I made to Dollar Tree yesterday.  Since they seem to have abandoned sports cards at my local store, I have to find other stuff.  Thanks to a recent blog post on Dino Drac, I found something I had to get.

I seriously bought a Christmas Tree for a buck at Dollar Tree.  It is 18 inches high, but to be honest, we don't have guests over much, so this is the perfect size tree.  It included the base as well, and its pretty much ready to go out of the box.

Some may think its a cheap way to celebrate the holidays, but I don't care.  In fact, it sits perfectly on top of my desk and its in front of the window as well.  Now I may have to go back to Savvy Seconds to see if they have any green or red beads and I can decorate this up quite nicely.  I had other reasons to go to Dollar Tree and I made a trip to Walmart so its not like I went out of my way just for this, but I'm glad I got it.

So that wraps things up for today.  I have another Savvy post that I might have up this week that is from a few months ago and features all cards.  It should be fun to look back at since I have slightly forgotten what all I did get on that trip.  We'll see I guess.  Anyways thanks for reading and have a great week.  If your area is getting hit with this cold spell, I hope you're all safe.  I know I'll be safe inside, staying warm by the Christmas tree.  Too bad Dollar Tree doesn't sell fireplaces.  Oh well.

P.S.  Since getting my new computer and starting to organize a bit, you might see a few minor changes to my site.  Nothing big but I might consolidate some of the categories up top to make it easier to navigate.  I thought about doing a redesign, but that might be months away.  For now these are just small things to help me and you see what I have and don't.

Musical Stares

My posts have been few and far between, and when I have posted they have been a lot of musical posts.  Sorry about that, but today is another musical edition.  I took a bit of a break from blogging and collecting as of late, but I had my reasons.  However, things are starting to look up and I might get back into all of it soon.  Nothing bad has happened, I was just in a funk.  Though I was having computer issues, but I managed to find a good laptop on Black Friday so I was able to upgrade.  Since then I've had to move all my stuff to the new computer and figure out my favorite sites again, and figure out where the new computer put all the apps and programs I use.  Luckily, most of what I use is still working, and I even managed to finish some custom cards I will show later.  With my computer issues out of the way, my next step is a big one.

Beginning soon I will once again wipe out my collection on here and Trading Card Database.  The reason is two fold.  First because this year I really fell behind on what I have and I need to figure it out.  The second reason is because in order to do that, I needed more organize better.  My plan was to get a couple 3200 count boxes or maybe a couple 5000 count boxes so I could expand my Royals collection, then also get rid of my binders to save space.  After a rough estimate, I figured I'd need almost 2 boxes just for the binders alone.  So since Ebay was nice to give me bonus Ebay bucks a couple days lately, I managed to snag 5 boxes holding a total of 25000 cards.  More than enough for the binders and my Royals collection, as well as my Mizzou collection and even my Related To Missouri collection and completed sets.  Then I can more easily sort my excess cards and figure out what to do with them.  I'm waiting to figure out the best way to separate the cards in the boxes (I used index cards but didn't like them), and once I figure it out, I should start soon.  I'm thinking using craft stick would be good as dividers and much cheaper than other alternatives.

When I start doing that, I will wipe out my two accounts on Trading Card Database.  One will be used only for set building and complete sets (my second account), and my main account will be for Royals, Mizzou and whatever randomness I collect.  It will make it easier to sort since some cards I know I have but not sure if they are in my sets or in my collections.  Now if I get doubles I can include them in both.  I'm hoping to start this massive project by the first of the year.

Having said all that, I have been hesitant to sorting any new cards I've gotten lately, but today I did decided to scan some cards.  I scanned a lot of stuff this year I never got around to, so maybe next year I will show it.  Today's cards though all have a theme of music.  So let's get into it.

Really?  I bought New Kids On The Block stickers?  The answer is yes.  Though I had my reasons, unfortunately I ordered the wrong ones.  Now you may ask "How does one order the wrong NKOTB stickers, and is there really a RIGHT NKOTB sticker set?"  The answer is yes to having the right ones, and I didn't do due diligence on ordering the right ones.  While I've been away, in the back of my mind has been a sticker project I wanted to work on.  I don't want to give too much away right now since its still in the planning phase, but I needed a couple New Kids stickers.  I didn't need the whole set, just one of the group, I think one of Donnie, and most importantly, one of Joey.  I really thought the last one shown is the one I needed. When I got these, I realized it was the wrong one.  There are two sticker sets, and it appears I need the yellow version instead of the red version.  Now the question is do I want to go through the hassle or just say screw it, this one will do.  I haven't decided yet.

The good news though is that this is a complete sticker set and it was cheap.  I even got bonus ebay bucks for them, so I didn't lose much on it.  Once I feature this project I mentioned, I'll decide if I will break this set up or go ahead and get the right cards.

I had a specific reason for these stickers, but even if I didn't, its still pretty cool to have some trading cards of boy bands.  New Kids got cards.  Backstreet Boys got cards.  I think One Direction got cards.  But you know who DIDN'T get cards?

The Lyte Funkie Ones!  That's right LFO never got trading cards.  So for the first (and likely only time ever) I created LFO trading cards.  I had my reasons for it which I will mention in a moment, but look at the rest of the 5 card set I created.  I should mention I haven't created cards in over 6 months to a year and these seemed kind of rushed, so once I get back in the habit, the quality should improve.

Summer Girls is one of my favorite songs ever.  I know its not a songwriters masterpiece, but it was a teenage pop song that hit when I was a teenager.  It bordered on novelty and for those who didn't take it serious appreciated it more.  The lead singer of LFO was Rich Cronin.  I love how on the first card he is wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch shirt.  You'll get it if you listened to the song Summer Girls.  Sadly, a few years ago Rich Cronin died from a stroke as a result of leukemia at the age of 36.  It was really a shame as I had hoped one day they would return for at least one more album.

Rich and Brad were original members of the band.  Brian Gillis was also in the band, but left just before they hit it big.  After the death of Rich, Brad and Devin decided on a couple occasions to go on tour together.  Today Brad among other things is a pro-life activist.

*Side note, this card is really bad, but I liked this photo so I used it.  Since its not a real card, I don't care all that much.

Devin Lima joined the band just before they hit it big and has been the driving force behind the band after Rich's illness and death.

The reason I made these cards is because of Devin.  After a short tour this summer, Devin announced he has stage 4 adrenal cancer.  He turned 40 years old this year, and it really struck me upon hearing this news.  Two thirds of the band have/had a form of cancer way too early in life.  My sister had stage 4 cancer, and a friend I know also has it, and it really rattles you.  All cancer sucks, but basically if you have stage 4 there isn't a lot you can do but pray and get everything in order.  I hate to sound grim like that, but it is like that.  I hope for peace for Devin and all his family and friends and fans.

So I'm sorry I brought everyone down, I hope I can lift you back up.  Maybe I should get Silly.

BARFEY?  MORONNA?  NSTINK?  These are some Silly CDs!  Not just that but stickers.  I've seen the cards for this set a lot and got a few off Listia, but I've never seen the stickers.  So when I was still on Ebay, I figured I'd go ahead and get the complete card set and the sticker set was included.  They are basically the same as the cards, but at least I don't have to worry about building it now.

They also made puzzle sets for some of the cards.  I am missing one piece to finish the Santana one, and need 5 of the 6 of the Dixie Chicks.  While I'd like to get the Santana piece, I don't care about the Dixie Chicks one.  If I were to build another puzzle set, it would be the Britney Spears set.

Even classic artists were parodied.  Though these are made as a joke, I think releasing a set of music cards just showing album covers would be a fun set.  The front could be the album cover and the back could be either a bio of the artist or talk about the album.  Maybe both.  This was an easy 35 card set, but it was fun to finish.  While I didn't do much with cards this last half of the year, it did make me enjoy these new cards to my set.

So with that I will wrap it up.  I have a lot to do, but I thought it would be fun to post.  Maybe my next post won't be about music, but who knows.  Maybe I should do a musical post EVERY OTHER TIME...

The good news about all this is I had fun writing this and lately I've come up with ides for blog posts, so it looks like I'm not quite gone from the blogosphere just yet.  Thanks to all for the kind words and I hope everyone has a great holiday season.  Have a great weekend!

Where My Head Is At

I'm sure a few of you have missed me.  It all started because I was a little busy.  Then I just didn't feel like writing, then I didn't know what to write.  However I felt at worst it was time for an update.  I have plenty to show off and write about, I just don't really want to.  The other day I realized a bit why that is.  I've said on here a few times that I'm not a big fan of the Fall season because a lot of people I know and love have passed away in the months of September, October, and November.  I know death happens all year around, but it seems to escalate in the Fall to me.  In September, someone I met only once died but she really brought a lot of joy in that one time we met.  She died of cancer 11 years ago.  It was a tough pill to swallow, but I got over it.  However, exactly 2 weeks later, my dad passed away.  Two deaths in 2 weeks really takes a toll on you.  Sometimes I wonder if I really recovered from either.  Fast forward a few years later and the first week of October and a good friend since high school committed suicide, on another friends birthday no less.  This friend that died I worked with for a few years after we graduated and it was just a gut punch to me.  I hadn't talked to him in a year or two, but it came out of left field.

October also has some bittersweet happiness though.  One of my sister's birthday was over a week ago.  She would have been 40 this year if she didn't pass away from cervical cancer.  She was the glue that held the family together after my dad died, and because of that I don't think I ever recovered from that either.  She was diagnosed around the same time I suffered a severe back injury that in turn I never was cleared to return to work and I left my job.  Neither are related to each other, but the timing really seemed odd and it kind of brings me to where I am now.  I'll get to that in a bit though.

November really did a trick on me in high school.  When I was a Senior in high school my grandpa passed away on Thanksgiving.  I blamed myself for a long time for not visiting him one last time, but I have gotten past that.  But at the time I connected it to Thanksgiving, and I never cared for the holiday much since.  A few years later, a close family friend, and one of my dad's best friends died on the day after Thanksgiving.  He died a few hours after we talked to him that morning on a farm he owned of a heart attack.  He meant a lot to me because at one point he gave me a job.  I was once a paper boy, and I quit because I needed real money.  I applied to roughly 70 jobs, and nobody would hire me.  He needed some help with some odd jobs, and so I helped him out for a few months and it meant the world to me.  I think he just wanted someone to be with him while he did most the work, but I did get my hands dirty a few times.  When I finally got my job at Wendy's I felt bad that I couldn't help him as much anymore, but I still did a few more times.  I still keep an eye out for some concrete steps thinking back to the countless hours and weeks we spent trying to get some for a trailer he owned.

I have a point to most of this though.  I thought a lot and the other day it hit me why I'm just not motivated like I had been in recent years.  When my dad died, I got all his cards he had.  I had sold off my collection about 2-3 years earlier and was mostly out of the game, but when I got his collection, it gave me a bit of a spark.  At first my plan was to just sell it off, but it was fun collecting cardboard again.  I did for a few years but as the years went by it started to become an afterthought.  Fast forward to my back injury and I had more time to spend on cards, and I sorted them nonstop.  Once again it became fun again.  Once my sister needed someone to go with her to St. Louis for cancer treatments though, again, it became an afterthought, because it wasn't important.  After she died, I was just stuck.  I had nothing to do, and plenty of time.  I started to sort initially just so I could sell all the cards off and be done with it.  Then I found a website called Trading Card Database.  It was what I needed.  I could sort all my cards and archive what I had, making it a lot easier to know what I had and could sell.  However, I needed more to take my mind off my sister, and I started buying cards again.... A LOT!  It kept my mind off things, and it kept me happy.  I got involved in the card collecting world again with new eyes and new ideas.  It eventually lead up to starting this blog.  The blog was just to show off stuff, but something amazing happened the around the time I started.  My favorite team, the Royals who were cellar dwellers for 2 decades suddenly caught fire.  THEY MADE THE PLAYOFFS!  It gave me a fire to blog more.  They made it to the World Series!  I was stoked!  It gave me more fire!  Then they lost but it gave me hope in my team but also into collecting.  I fell in love with a sport again I didn't know I fell out of love with.

The next year it kept going, this time though the Royals won the World Series!  I was a full blown card addict again.  Two short years later something happened though that has really pinched my fandom in collecting and sports.  Some could blame the Royals and Mizzou's off year, but I think its more than that.  I think after all these years I finally lifted a burden.  I needed something to keep my mind off my dad and sister so much.  It was my fix, and it worked.  However I have started to find new ways and things to occupy my time and collecting cards isn't my #1 escape anymore.  I still collect, and I still plan to get cards, but its not like a drug that it used to be.  This blog isn't the drug it used to be.  I don't plan on abandoning either one, but if you treat a hobby like its a drug, sometimes you just need to go to rehab and take a break.  I think I've done that recently.  So with that, I won't say I'm done blogging or collecting, but I won't be compelled to write or collect because I MUST.  However, while I still have a few things I want to get done before I get back into both more regularly, I think when I do come back soon, I will have plenty to discuss and show off.  This time maybe with a new set of eyes.  Ones that aren't treating this hobby as a distraction, but more of a part time passion.

Thank you for reading such a long post, but I thought I'd get everyone up to speed on my whereabouts lately.  I have quite a few tasks I want to complete before I'm back more regularly, but I feel when I do come back I will be more refreshed.  Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Savvy Shopping: Deep Discounts

A few days ago I made a trip to my local second hand store, Savvy Seconds.  Its been over a month since I last visited and they had a ton of merchandise.  I assume it was a lot of garage sale leftovers, so much so that their usual year-round Christmas section was missing.  Having said that, there was a lot of stuff that didn't catch my eye.  I mean I wasn't in the market for cassette tapes even though I heard they might be making a comeback.  Probably a couple hundred total, and I didn't even look for a price, but I did browse.  Nothing aside from a Gaither cassette caught my eye so I moved on.  Books didn't look interesting either, and the more than usual glassware wasn't for me either.  With all that being said, I didn't leave empty handed.  In fact, I was quite pleased with my haul, one of my better ones this year.  So let's take a look at what I got.  We'll start with CD's as that's what I usually look at first.

I admit I don't listen to as much Christian music as I use to, but I couldn't pass up this CD from Sonicflood.  It has some of their best songs, and to be honest, I don't think I ever owned this album.  I haven't listened to it yet, but I noticed it does have Heart of Worship, which is one song that does pop into my head quite often.

I love Lisa Loeb.  I have always been a fan, so when I saw this, I got it.  I think I might have bought this already now that I think about it, but I'm not too worried about it.  Lately I've been listening to music a lot on my Roku, but I might break out my hard drive and listen to my collection.

I'll never say I'm the biggest Foo Fighters fan, though I did like their earlier stuff.  These days I just can't get into their music.  Though when I found this still sealed CD I couldn't pass it up.  I think I've head These Days and Walk, but they aren't ringing a bell.  I think I'll try to locate these songs on Youtube before I decide to open this up.  If its still I can live without, I'll keep it sealed, for no other reason then because not only does it have that sweet Grammy sticker on it, but also still has the Best Buy barcode sticker on it.  I love nostalgia, and since its been close to a decade since I've inside a Best Buy, this will make me remember the handful of times I have.

I think these were 50 cents each.  It is the going rate, but the final price seemed off so I may have got them cheaper.  A lot of sections had half off stickers so maybe I got lucky.

Next I'll show the most expensive item I got, which cost two dollars.

If I never watched that Ben Affleck movie, I'd never been a fan of Daredevil.  However I did, and I liked it, so now I look for Daredevil comics when I see comics for sale, which isn't too often.  I know nothing about comics and how to grade them or pricing, so I'm not sure if I got a good deal.  What I do know is there were probably 50 or so comics for sale, a lot of new ones like Scooby Doo, but a lot of older ones like these and Fantastic Four and such.  None really caught my eye and the oldest one I found was 1978 (as the copyright on the back page ad showed), I found a total of 5 or 6 Daredevil comics, but I knew I only wanted to get one for the 2 dollar price tag (I'm cheap, but also didn't think any had a lot of value).  I picked this one for two reasons, first because it looked like it told part of Daredevil's story that was mentioned in the aforementioned movie, and second, because besides the cool cover, it was also one of the oldest issues they had.

I found out when I got home that this seems like it was somewhat of a good issue to have.  It tells the story of Daredevil's father (as I figured), as well as the journalist finding out who Daredevil really is.  In addition, it was the final work for Marvel by Wally Wood.  He helped with the cover of this issue.  He died in 1981.  I don't know if that will add value to it, but again, I don't think it holds much value due to the condition.  It appears to be all there, but the pages seem to be discolored but if it was in better shape I'd probably find a backer board and bag it.  If they lower the prices on the other comics, I might buy some more.  I hope to read this issue soon though.  I might even scan some of it for a future blog.

The rest of the items were on clearance.  I don't know if they just wanted to get rid of stuff or what, but a lot of items were a nickel or dime, prices I've hardly ever see them sell stuff for.  I think its a smart move because it was really cluttered so they needed to move a lot of stuff out.  At any rate, I'm not complaining.

Did I need it?  No, but for 10 cents (maybe it was 5), I surely can put something inside it.  If nothing else, I can print out a list of all the Mizzou athletes I've gotten autographs of.  Or maybe a list of players I have cards or.  Since I can put something on both sides of this document holder, I could print out both lists and have one on each side.  Or I could put in in my closet and forget about it, which is most likely what I'll do.

I don't drink coffee, but I can't pass up local media advertising.  This KMIZ mug if I remember the logo is from the mid-90's.  With a price tag of a dime, it was hard to pass up.

They had another mug for the same price, but to be honest, I didn't have a need for two of them, but who knows, maybe next time if its still there I'll get it and have a matching pair.

So these last three items are clothing that I will never wear, but not only dirt cheap, but were exciting for me to find.

A girl's softball jersey isn't a normal find, but it was the sponsor that caught my eye.  When I showed it to a friend he commented "it must must be a slow pitch league to match their Internet service".  I-Land is our local Internet service and while I'm currently upset with the issues they seem to be having, I have to admit their pricing isn't bad, but I will likely need to move up a package to get a little faster service (my main issues have come up since streaming more on my Roku).  As for this jersey, I'll never wear it, but I like advertising, so this being 10 cents was well worth it to me.  Maybe one day if I ever get a house, I can display all these odd jerseys I have.

My town isn't known for very much.  Aside from school activities, our failed grocery stores, our Christmas Parade, our Co-Op getting sued by Monsanto, and a town cop who would make Barney Fife and Chief Wiggum look like the smartest men alive, above all else, we are known for our Rodeo.  "It's always the 3rd Weekend in July" isn't just a slogan, in recent years its basically become our motto when asked what happens around here for fun.  I, myself, haven't been in probably 15-20 years, but most people like it.  When I say most people, I mean most people who want an excuse to go out into a field and drink all night.  Since its outside city limits, Deputy Fife can't do much.  Though each year people forget he and the county Sheriff usually have the roads covered and drive home drunk.

As you can tell, I'm not a big advocate for the Rodeo, as its just an excuse to drink for most.  Its a shame for those who really want to enjoy a rodeo, and the performers.  Not all is bad though, as the usual rodeo clown (at least as far as I know he still is) became a celebrity a few years ago.  If you remember the clown that got fired from the Missouri State Fair for wearing the Obama mask, then that's the same guy. 

So if I'm so against it, why did I get the shirt?  Well, it was a dime, and I for some reason still have town pride.  It was too cheap to pass up.  Plus the fact that maybe one day I'll lighten up and decide to go to the rodeo again (its usually two nights) and find out that its not as bad as I make it out to be.

So there is one item left, the coffee mug was my third favorite purchase.  The Daredevil comic was my second favorite.  This last item is my most favorite item, and it cost a whopping 10 cents.  If they had 100 of them, I would have bought them all.

Holy cow, BATMAN!  That's a stadium giveaway jersey from the Northwest Arkansas Naturals!  For those keeping track at home, they are the Kansas City Royals Double A affiliate.  This is the second NWA items I've found at Savvy Seconds in the last two years.  The other item was a team history book.  This leads me to believe not only is there a local Royals fan that donates to the store, but the make frequent stops to Springdale, Arkansas.  I have a couple theories.  First they are really a Cardinals fan that goes to a lot of Springfield Cardinals games and on occasion since Springdale isn't too far across the state lines, watches the minor league Cardinals play games at the home of the Naturals, and just happen to get team giveaways they have no use for.  The other theory is since Springdale isn't too far from Bentonville, one of the local Walmart management makes trips to headquarters down in Arkansas and happens to go to these games.  Either way, whoever it is and whatever the situation is, I hope they keep it up.

Here is the back of the jersey for those curious.  This jersey is similar to the old Royals powder blue jerseys I love so much.  This is truly a find.  When I got home I tried to find out more info about it, and I believe it was a giveaway from last July.  There is one selling on Ebay still in its bag for 10 bucks.  Not a bad price really, but I don't need to spend that since I have one now.

While I will likely never wear this, I think its an extra large, so if I did lose some weight it is possible for me to try it on.  Maybe that should be my motivation.  Maybe set a goal of losing enough weight to wear it next year... on the third weekend of July.... at the local Rodeo, just to see the Cardinals fans sneer.  There are a lot of them.  But lets not talk about the Cardinals since that stupid rally Cat appeared and they hit Grand Slams against my Royals on back to back nights and swept them in a four game series.  Oh well, at least we still have 1985.

In total, including a few items my mom bought (mostly books), the total came in under 5 bucks.  To be honest, I would have possibly paid 5 bucks just for the Naturals jersey, so everything else was essentially free.

That wraps it up for tonight,  I'm hoping to watch the Chiefs first preseason game tonight, and preparing for football season.  I haven't given up on the Royals yet, but until I can see more of their games, I haven't kept up like I usually do.  As for this blog, well, I still have a lot of stuff scanned, maybe I'll find time and motivation to write soon and showcase the stuff.  Thank you all for reading and hope everyone has a great weekend.

Ranting & Raving: O.J. Simpson, Linkin Park, and More

Sometimes I just want to convey my thoughts, and right now is one of those times, so its time for me to do a semi-regular commentary.

Let's start with the sad and unfortunate news of the passing of Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.  He hung himself earlier today, on what would have been Chris Cornell's birthday.  I wasn't aware of this until I read it, but Chester and Chris were real good friends, and Bennington had thoughts of suicide previously.  While this hasn't hit me as hard as Cornell's death, its still tragic and needs to serve as a wake up call to everyone who knows someone who is depressed or has suicidal thoughts to check up on them.  I don't know what was going through Mr. Bennington's head since the passing of his friend Chris, but I heard he did leave a wife and six kids behind, and was loved by many more fans.

Linkin Park started to make noise around the time I was graduating high school, and I was reminded today that their song One Step Closer is almost 20 years old.  It's hard to fathom that in a few more years that the music I graduated to will be considered classic rock (it already has been by some).  I enjoyed a lot of Linkin Park's music, but I don't think I ever owned one of their albums.  In the next few days I will probably find a playlist of a lot of their songs on Youtube and check them out again.  I really haven't heard much from them in recent years, but they always seemed like a band that could come out with a hit song at any time.  R.I.P. Chester Bennington.

On any other day, that would probably be the top story nationally, but it will be overshadowed by something else.  In fact I found out about this while waiting for the big story to develop.  The bigger story is of course O.J. Simpson.

On the surface, it really shouldn't be a big deal.  For those unaware, today was the parole hearing for O.J.  If things went well, he would be released from prison.  As it turns out, he was granted parole, but he won't be released until October 1st.  So, in a sense, it doesn't really matter what happens today, but October 1st.  I don't get why it takes 2 and a half months for him to get released, but you can breathe a sigh of relief if you R.S.V.P.'ed to go to the Pumpkin Carving Party at O.J.'s this year.

I'm really not that conflicted on this to be honest.  In years past, I would have said, FRY HIM.... okay, maybe not, but I would have been fine if he was denied parole.  However I have mellowed a bit in recent years.  Here's the thing a lot of people forget, he's not in jail for murder.  So in a sense, I don't get the lynch mob that wants him to serve 33 years for trying to get back his stuff.  Of course there's much more to it than that, but still.  The hearing itself didn't really look good for O.J. to be honest.  He actually in my opinion almost talked himself back in prison, and his attorney didn't really help his cause.  However the guy that he committed these crimes against DID HELP O.J.  He actually testified on behalf of O.J. and made some valid points.  As the victim, he's been a longtime friend of O.J.'s and has forgiven him of the crime.  In addition, he even requested O.J. only serve 1-3 years for the crimes to begin with, and he doesn't really blame O.J. for what went down, but blames the other people with O.J. that night.

What I can't get past in this crime is if we are to believe the victim and O.J., Simpson never used a gun that night.  So why should he be charged for weapons charge?  Well, in some places, since O.J. was the "mastermind" he is essentially liable for all the other people in his party.  I guess that makes sense, but by all accounts, O.J. just wanted his stuff and the other people kind of went rogue and in business for themselves, so he shouldn't be held accountable for them.  The other point is all the other people have been given parole or released already so why is he the only one still in jail?  I guess if he is the ringleader then he should serve longer than the rest, but I still think it was a bit excessive.

Where I do have some trouble with all of this though is for what he isn't serving time for.  Yes, I'm talking about the double homicide.  After it happened and likely many years after I said O.J. didn't do it.  I was a kid, so I had no evidence, but I also couldn't believe a big time sports star and celebrity could do it, and hey, he wasn't convicted.  As the years went by and the more I read and saw, I can't say I 100% agree with it now.  My belief now is that he was involved, but I'm still not sure he actually did the killing.  I can believe he hired someone, or something else may have happened where he knows what happened.  If it came out tomorrow that he admits he did it though, I wouldn't be surprised.

With all that being said, that wasn't the reason he was in jail, so I don't think keeping him there for the murders is justified.  If he did do it, than year it sucks he isn't in jail for life, but its also unfair to pin him in jail to correct a mistake the court system made the first time.

Here's something else I have to think about though as a collector.  Do I want any O.J. memorabilia?  Should I be honoring a man that I think had a hand in a double homicide?  It's a question I often wonder as think of other athletes who I may collect.  I collect a lot of Mizzou athletes, but should I?  Aldon Smith and Sheldon Richardson seem to get in trouble with the law on a consistent basis.  Should I be honoring them by collecting their cards?  I've already purged cards of former Chiefs Running Back Larry Johnson (I groan even as I type his name), and if former Mizzou Running Back Derrick Washington had cards, I wouldn't likely be trying to get my hands on them.  At what point is it okay to collect cards of a person who has done something less than honorable?  Also, would I be collecting because of their criminal fame, or the athletic ability?  Would/Should it even matter?  These are things I have to ponder.

I don't own any O.J. Simpson cards, but I'm not sure if I ever would if I found one at a good price.  I admit I looked on COMC last night just to see what some are going for, but I had no intention to buy one.  However as collector's are we also collecting history?  Sometimes I show my nephews or other people some of my cards, and I tell them stories about those players or something that reminds me of them.  I am preserving the past, wouldn't have a card of Simpson keep that part of history alive?  I mean if you are buying a card second hand from COMC or ebay or a card show, its not like O.J. will be making money on that card.  On the flip side though, if his cards starts selling, wouldn't Topps or Panini want to offer him a contract to sign some cards to release?  Its a vicious circle that I have to decide if I want to be a part of.  In the end, if I end up with one of his cards, I won't be upset, but I'm also not seeking them out either.  It could be a good talking point for future generations.

How soon will O.J. start attending card signing after he's released?  Would you go to any of them?  I mean in his shoes, I would book as many of those as I can, though as a collector, I'm not sure I'd want to attend one.  Also would that look good on the dealer to book O.J. Simpson for a signing?  Again, I can see both sides, but not sure I'd want to be involved.  Though again, he was found not guilty so if he really didn't do it, why should he be punished for it?

So let's switch gears a little bit.  Last week I got an email I was hoping for, it was from Netflix.  It was for a one month free trial, and I took it.  I've been waiting so I could watch the new season of Orange is the New Black.  After I signed up, I binge watched it, and let me say, I'm pretty disappointed.  I'll try not to spoil much, but the time span of the season is three or four days and it involves a prison riot.  Without saying much more, I thought a lot of the season dragged, and instead of 13 episodes, it could have been done in 5.  It's almost like they forgot about some of the characters for 2-3 episodes then remembered to use them again.  Some just disappeared then showed back up, and well, I don't know.  I hope next year is much better.

Since I finished up that show, I am waiting for Ozark to be released with Jason Bateman.  I'm not sure what to expect, but I hope its good.  After that there isn't a whole lot for me to watch but reruns of shows I like such as Burn Notice, Hawaii Five-O, Blue Bloods, Leverage, and Limitless.  I added a few others I may check out too and will try to watch as much Crossing Jordan as possible in the next couple weeks as I can.  I got caught up on The Ranch, and while I really liked the first 10 episodes, I feel like they've started to stray from the original idea a bit.  It's still good, but its not must watch anymore.  I will say this though, after trying out Hulu earlier this year, I think it is much better than Netflix, and I could see myself using it a lot more.

Yesterday I was on twitter and I saw Shane McMahon's name trending.  At first I didn't think much of it because it was the day after Smackdown aired, and sometimes WWE stuff trends a while longer.  However, I was curious so I clicked on it.  To my surprise I read he survived a helicopter crash in the Atlantic Ocean.  I didn't appear to be too bad, but it still was really interesting.  I've always liked Shane, and due to his daredevil ring style, many were quick to make jokes about it.  "Of course he survives a plane crash".... "Shane's bumps are starting to get out of hand"...

The truth is, I almost missed out on the entire story for a couple reasons.  First, if I didn't click on it, I wouldn't have heard about it.  There seemed to be no press coverage of it outside of the New York market where it happened.  At first I thought, so what, he survived, no big deal.  But then I thought more and one of the reports made me realize something.  Not only is he the son of WWE owner Vince McMahon, his mom Linda is one of Donald Trump's cabinet members.  I would think it would merit a little more coverage than it got, but oh well.

The other reason I almost missed out was because after the WWE Money In The Bank PPV in June, I've more or less cut off wrestling.  I watched maybe 20 minutes of it since, and check out my favorite wrestling site maybe twice a week, down for maybe 5-10 times a day.  For years I've said I needed a reason to stop watching, and now is the time.  The PPV was the last day I had a free trial to the WWE Network, and combine that with storylines I don't care about, it was the best chance for a clean break.  I'm not saying I'm never watching again, but maybe a few months off is what I need.  When I had the network I only watched the old WCW stuff anyways, so its not like I watched much modern stuff (aside from 205 Live).  Without the Network, I could watch Raw, Smackdown, and ROH, but I just don't feel like it.  Its to a point that my interest in checking out the new Netflix series GLOW is waning each day.  Its on my list, but I just can't get motivated to watch it.

Well, I think I've ranted and raved long enough.  Sorry it was so long, I just wanted to clear my head again.  It felt good, and also makes me excited to write two days in a row.  I've been working on sorting some cards, and have a lot to scan, and even more to post, so hopefully I'll be blogging more soon.  Before I go, one more thing on O.J.  He said when he gets out he could find all kinds of stuff to do, one of which is he could start blogging.  I so want that to happen.  Just think if he wrote about collecting.  That would be awesome, he would kill at it.... um.. wrong choice of words.

Anyways thanks for reading and have a great night.

Savvy Shopping and a Surprise

Its been a while since I've been to my local second hand store, Savvy Seconds.  I am hoping to go sometime soon, but I realized I haven't posted my last few trips there.  Part of the reason is because I've struck out a lot, and the other is because I haven't blogged much.  I thought today I would post my most recent trip, probably a month or so ago.  Before I do I thought I'd show a card my good friend gave me a while back.

Yeah today's post is all photos so maybe I should have waited to scan them but oh well.  My friend collects every Mizzou football player he can, and had an extra Charles Harris rookie, so he gave it to me.  I've neglected my Mizzou collection lately, but this is a fine addition.  Once I declutter a bit I hope to work on adding more.  Harris could be a big name in the NFL, and I think he's very underrated.  He might have been the only Mizzou player to get a card this year, but I have my eye on a couple other players who played in the state, one of them is Garret Fugate.  I'm watching his autographed card on COMC as we speak, and might pull the trigger soon.

So with that out of the way, what did I find at Savvy's?  Good question, let's take a gander.

Book deals are there every time I go, and usually you find a lot of worthwhile finds, at least my mom does, but we usually fall a book or two short, so I grab a couple random ones that I have a slight interest in.  This was one of those books.  Since I've gotten it, I've actually passed it off to my cousin who was a big fan of the show, so I figured she'd have more use from it than I would.

This CD I've also passed on, this time to my friend who gave me the Charles Harris card.  Hey, it can't be worse than those Kids Bop CD's right?  Well.... country-fied version of kids songs isn't up my alley, so I can't say, but he has a couple small kids, and he owns a John Deere, so I think its better suited for them.  He says the kids like it, so there's that.  Now if Sears made a Craftsman CD then I'd be all over that.  However, I think at most it would be an EP and two of those songs would be about bankruptcy or selling the Craftsman name to a rival, so I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy that.

So let's get into items I DID KEEP!

One thing being a Royals fan is how much I hate the Detroit Tigers.  I hate them so much because they have so many guys that I like or have liked in the past.  Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson (at least he became a Royal), Jack Morris, to even more current guys like Max Scherzer (now in DC), and this guy... Justin Verlander.  I've been a Verlander fan since day one, even though he has KC's number.  He appears to be slowing down a bit, but he's still a guy I'd love for the Royals to get if it came at the right price.  However, this plastic sign/poster did come at the right price, so I snagged it up.  Sure I don't really have a place to display it now, but maybe one day I'll have a spot.  Oh plus I'm a bit jealous of him because he's with Kate Upton.... there's that too.

This came out of left field.  I have no idea how many card collector's there are in the area, but even if there are a few, I'm surprised to find a Beckett book from 2011, especially from Football.  If it was from the 90's or something, I would understand, but if there are many collector's around here, they appear to be in hiding.  I also am a bit surprised because if I saw this, I was hoping to at least find some cards for sale nearby too, but there were none.  I haven't really looked at the book yet, but I hope to sometime soon.  I'm a bit curious to see some of the prices in here.

I also have a question for those who visit Trading Card Database.  Should this book be included in the Publications section?  I have really only seen the monthly price guides on there, so I'm not sure an actual book should be on there.  While I'm at it, should the old Red Foley books be in that section too?  I mean cards were inserted, but it wasn't really a price guide.  Maybe I should ask that question on the Database.

Ok, last picture, and its a two-fer.

I was quite happy to find these two CD's while looking around last time.  I always say I should start listening to Christian music again, but never do.  These are a couple CD's that I've always wanted to check out, but never have.  I remember the old Time Life commercials for the Songs 4 Life series that came on TV in the late 90's.  It has one of my favorite Christian songs ever on it- El Shaddai from Amy Grant.  It is a 2 CD set, and it still was only 50 cents.  As for the Rich Mullins CD, I was happy to find it after watching the movie Ragamuffin a year or two ago and became more interested in his story.  Rich wrote one of the biggest Christian songs ever, Awesome God, and had a very interesting life.  He died way too early, and sometimes I'm curious what would have happened if he didn't.  However, I listened to this CD some, and wasn't quite entertained by it.  It also came with a DVD, but I haven't checked it out yet.

So overall I have to say it was a fun trip to Savvy Seconds, and I hope to go again soon, and find more deals.  That will wrap it up for today, thanks for reading and have a great night.  If its hot like it is here, stay cool this week, as I'm hearing triple digit temperatures around here for a few days, and I will find ways to stay cool.  Thankfully I have Netflix, and Ozark is about to be released soon on there, so I'll stay busy.

Worth The Risk?

I was at my local convenience store a few weeks ago and found a new card product there.  It didn't have a price on it, but I wanted to try it out (it was a day I came up empty after a Walmart visit).  So I tried my luck and it was 12 or 13 bucks.  Here's what I got, and heads up, not a lot of typing today, as I don't feel good and might try to sleep soon, but here we go.

I figured 4 packs were about 8-12 bucks alone, so depending on the autograph card, I would break even.  I didn't expect a good autograph to be honest, but at least good enough to be happy.

I admit, its not a bad autograph card, but I was extremely disappointed with how it was packed in the box.  It was just thrown in without even a penny sleeve to protect it.  so depending on how the boxes were handled, it could have been totally damaged before anyone opened it.  It really was at that point I decided I wouldn't buy another box, unless I really needed a fix.  As for the packs, I was a bit surprised at the jumbo pack, but happy they were all 2016 packs, though I would have been happy with an Archives pack, but I can't complain about the packs included.

I'm not a fan of Gypsy Queen, but I think it was a really good pack.  I was happy with the A-Rod, and also pleased to get the deGrom, Jansen, and Kris Bryant cards.  So I was happy with what I got.

If I had my way, I'd discontinue either the Heritage or Archives line.  I'd use one of them, and use the Heritage cardstock, but the designs of the Archives.  I think they could even make it a slightly bigger set too, but not by much.  Anyways, as for these cards, I'm not too impressed with them, but I will say I like the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks caps.  Maybe one day I should get them at some point.  I have a Pirates one somewhere, and also a Giants one too.  Not to mention the Royals one I where proudly, and probably a Cardinals one that I have somewhere.

Will Smith, YES YES Y'ALL! Okay, I'm not that excited about it, but I did want to throw in a song reference there.   However, I was more than happy to pull the Yasiel Puig card.  I don't have many of him, but this one will go into my binder.  Lastly is an Athletics Rookies card, of a couple guys I don't know much about.  Its a nice card, but not a fan of the jersey Blair is wearing.  Oh well.

2016 Topps.  Not much more to say since I've blogged about it since they've come out.

More 2016 Topps, and again, not much to add.  Though I was happy to pull the Herrera card.  Also happy to pull the Darvish, MadBum, and the entire bottom row, especially the Kenny Griff card.  I don't have a lot of good ones from his Reds days.

The last scan has a Steven Wright card I was happy to pull.  I see his name trending on twitter a lot and usually assume its about the comedian, so getting a card of the player allows me to know a little more about the pitcher.  Also to remind me to listen to more of the comedian.  Finally the Jake Gyllenhaal card was a nice surprise because I bought one on COMC a few weeks earlier, but now I can try to resale it.  I figure at a loss, but either way I have the card now and don't need another.

Overall, I can't complain a lot about the packs, as it was worth the 10-12 bucks, as that's what the the packs sell for individually and are still fairly new, so it was okay.  The turnoffs for me though was I would expect a little more bang for my buck since they were still from last year.  Maybe another pack or maybe switch a Topps pack for an Archives pack, or something.  At least they weren't Triple Play packs.  The biggest complaint though is no protection for the autographed card.  I would be majorly disappointed to get an Aaron Judge autograph and it was dinged to hell.  At worst putting it in a penny sleeve inside a hard sleeve, but for that price maybe put it in a one touch.  The repacks I get at Walmart has many more packs for a buck or two more, but no guarantee of an autograph, but all include a one touch.  I like that risk a lot better.

So, in conclusion, this wasn't a bad box in a pinch, but I doubt I'll get another one.  So that wraps it up for tonight, thanks for reading, and have a great week.  It's supposed to be super hot here, so I don't I do much.  For now I think I'll take a Nyquil dream and cut my losses on the rest of the night.

Cleaning Up Folders

So since I haven't been posting a lot lately, I have sort of mixed up a lot of things and some scans aren't labeled and in folders like I would like them to be.  I also have a few other scans that I can combine, so I figured I would do that today.  Enough small talk, lets begin.

I haven't been to Dollar Tree as much lately, but when I have, options have been scarce.  Last time I went I saw a 30 pack but it was mixed sports, and I didn't really want it, but I had an itch so I got it.

I prefer to get mostly baseball in the pack, and about half was, so I'm okay with that.  Plus 30 cards for a buck is a good deal no matter what.  There is some good names in this pile, I was the happiest with the last 3 though.  The Kevin Appier card is a Royal so that makes me perk up immediately.  Add to the fact that I liked this design and its a bigger plus.  Its a shame what Upper Deck became, but I wish they were still a threat to Topps because I think if both had full licenses then it could be magical again.  Speaking of Topps, the Wade Davis card I was happy to get because I don't think I had it, and while I'm not actively seeking out all of Wader's cards, I do like adding them when I get the chance.  Lastly is a Tim Wallach that is from one of the 1980's Topps All Star sets.  I always like getting those cards whenever I can.  Again, not actively seeking them, but pulling them in a pack is a nice surprise.

I didn't scan every card in this pack, but I believe this is all the basketball cards in the pack.  I have to say that I was very happy with the ones I got.  Before I pretty much gave up on the NBA (with certain exceptions), I loved watching a lot of these guys.  I was happy to pull the Toni Kukoc card, and even more excited to get the Dikembe Mutumbo.  The Corbin and Christie cards aren't too shabby either.  In fact, I thought the Ultra set looked a lot better with the NBA cards then the MLB ones.  Love the 90s jersey on Laphonso Ellis.  I miss he old style jerseys and designs.  Overall I thought these were good cards to pull, my only slight complaint would be I would like to maybe see another newer card or two, but since I'm not into as much anymore I can live with it.  I would also just once like to pull some WNBA cards as well.  I wish I could find some of the older sets and packs but oh well.

First let's knock off the Mike Gallego card, its a good card, not sure why I included it, maybe just so I wouldn't waste much space.  I do like the Collector's Choice design, but not as much as their other sets.  Okay, let's talk football.  What an amazing lot of cards here.  I was never a Cowboys fan, but I did like Alvin Harper.  I thought he was underrated but did really well opposite Michael Irvin, much like Darryl Johnston played well opposite Emmitt Smith.  When I first got into football, Steve DeBerg was the Quarterback for the Chiefs, so while I'm sure I already have this card, I was happy to pull it again.  Another card I was happy to pull was the Herb Adderley card.  I'm pretty sure that photo is from Super Bowl I as it was against the Chiefs.  I can easily add it to my Chiefs collection by proxy, so it all works out.  The Trent Smith card isn't bad, but I didn't really like the design of the card.  Its a shame since I thought the Upper Deck MVP line was a good one, though by the late 90's each brand had so many different sets that it could have been shelved and I would have been okay with it.

Oh man, I love this Dan Marino card.  I loved the helmets and jerseys of the Dolphins too.  I even loved the 30 for 30 about Marino.  From Elway to Marino was a really nice one, and I recommend it to anyone.  Something I don't really recommend is the Scare Bears card that was in the pack.  Its a sticker, but still, its not something my collection needed, but still I have to admit it was interesting to pull.

Overall I think the pack was well worth the buck just for the Marino, Dikembe, and Appier cards.  The other cards were just an added bonus.

Speaking of bonus, at some point I scanned some cards and they were part of a box I bought.  I can't remember where the rest of the scans are, so I thought I would just post these two random scans, to clean up my folder a bit more.

I really love this Stars and Stripes set.  Thanks to these boxes I've bought, I've fell in love with a design I never saw before.  The highlight of the top row is obviously Kris Bryant, but I think all four of those cards were nice pulls.  On the bottom row I pulled a Carlos Rodon card from the Draft Picks set.  I don't care for all the chrome and such, but otherwise a fine card.  I also got a couple blue Topps cards.  I was happy to get the David Freese and will happily add it to my collection.  The Peralta isn't too bad either, but not really one I collect.  Same goes for the Evan Longoria, though I really like that Upper Class design.  I hope they keep doing that.  To be honest, I know Topps has plenty on their plate with all the other sets, but I would be okay with this having its own set, almost like the Studio cards from the 90s.

YES!  Another Pujols to add to the collection.  Change Pujols to Jeter or A-Rod and you can complete that sentence 3 times out of the 4 scans.  If you want an easy way to build an A-Rod collection, just get packs of these crappy Triple Play cards.  I pull almost one every other pack, and its usually one I don't have.

Let's get to the big reason to look at this scan though.  In the box I opened these cards from, I finally got a jersey card.  Well, its the second jersey card if you count the Triple Play one I pulled, but this is of an actual player.  I don't know a lot about Kyle Funkhouser, but I love this card.  It will proudly be on display once I dedicate a space to actually display my cards.  I have many I want to display, so I might rotate them out on occasion, but still this one will be included.

So I guess that will wrap it up for today.  I hope everyone had a fun and safe Independence Day, and hope everyone stays cool this summer.  I have scanned a lot of stuff lately so if I'm in the mood, I'll try to post them.  Thanks for reading and have a great week.

Mixed Feelings

Sometimes I get writers block.  Other times I just don't feel like writing.  Lately I just don't have the desire to write at all.  To be honest, I don't feel like doing much of anything.  My biggest feat in the last month has been that I cleaned the windows of the apartment I'm in.  I really only did it because I got to try out a water hose and nozzle I bought, but it was fun nonetheless.

 I guess I should explain the title.  Some days I want to write blogs like I used to, and other days I just want to come on here and just say I'm done blogging.  I have to be honest, the second option seems to cross my mind more often lately, but I usually conclude if I don't actually announce it, then that book is still open.  So I can write whatever, whenever.  I guess what I'm saying is that I don't plan on ever calling it quits, but I don't expect to be a daily blogger anytime soon if ever again.  When I started this  I told myself I had to have a post limit to keep going to motivate me.  I knew once I slowed down, it would become harder to keep doing it, and that has been the case lately.  I just need to get motivated to do it.  Who knows maybe in a month or two I will, and will churn out 3 or 4 posts a week, but for now I'll be happy if I get one done a week. 

Anyways, It's been a month since I last wrote, and I thought it was time for a post.  Last week I scanned quite a few things, so if I get the urge, I'll have stuff to post.  Today's post will be short though, but it will be about cards at least. 

Everyone seems to be clamoring over the 2017 Topps set, but I just don't like the design.  I mentioned I wasn't going to buy any from this year, and so far I haven't.  I have been tempted to get some singles online (wait, the wording of that seems odd...) but I've swiped left on those as well (see what I did there?).  So instead I saw a box of 2016, and figured, why not try to finish the set off.

I made a mistake though.  Well, two actually.  While 8 bucks seems pretty fair, it's not that much of a discount, only a couple bucks, I thought I was getting a better deal.  Oh well, I wanted to open some cards.  The bigger mistake though was I have about 2/3rds of Series One, and as a result, most of the box were doubles.  So it wasn't a good investment for me, though I must say, I still got a few decent cards, so let's take a look.

Who knew I still needed an Omar Infante card?  That seemed odd, but hey, I was happy to pull it.  I think by this time last year the Royals already released him.  I also got a couple Diamondbacks that I didn't have, and it was nice to pull the Goldschmidt.  Again, this box had a ton of duplicates.  I think out of the 64 or so base cards, all but 12 were doubles, maybe even less.  Maybe next time I go I can find a box of Series Two or Update, those I need more help with.

I think I needed all of the top row and the Greinke... maybe.  I can't remember anymore.  I know I already added them to my list on TCDB, so that's the important part.  I was happy to pull the Schwarber and Bryant cards.  The Graveman card I have already, but its the Chrome version.  I remember the facial expression, I won it off Listia last year.  The Neshek if it is a double maybe I'll send to get autographed through the mail, he seems to be an easy TTM signer and a good first time try for me.

The Royals cards I already had, but I'm not sure if I have them in my Royals collection already or in my set collection.  Either way, I'm covered now either way.  The Tom Seaver is a double, but is the only insert card that I got that was a double, so I'm happy about that.  I could have done much worse on an insert double.

As for the inserts, I think I did a pretty good job on those.  While none of these guys really fit into my collections otherwise, I can still add them to my 2016 binder and who knows, maybe I can finish off some of those sets.  My favorite of the bunch is the Sandy Koufax.  I believe its the Gold version which is my first, and it will look nice with the rest of the set.  I'm still not crazy about most of the insert sets 2016 produced, but the MLB Debut was pretty great.

So not much to report on this box.  Did I get my money's worth?  Well, since so many were doubles, I can't say yes.  However if this was my first box I opened, I think I would have been pretty good on the price.  In fact, despite the risk, if I see another Series One box next time I go to my local Walmart for the same price, I might take a chance on it.

This box wasn't the only 2016 Topps cards I opened recently, so look out for more in upcoming posts.  When those might be, I'm not sure, but I have already scanned most if not all of them, so whenever I feel like writing, I'll share them.  Thanks so much for taking time and reading my blog, I really appreciate it.  I hope everyone has a safe and fun weekend.