Not Wolverine-centric but still good:
Thanks to the always-reliable Sportlots, I picked up the very last base card I needed for my 6th 2011 Topps base set, plus all the remaining ToppsTown inserts and one of the Super Bowl Legends on my wantlist. I just need cards from the Game Day and Super Bowl Legends inserts to complete a master set, which I'm then planning to flip. Four base sets are still available for sale/trade, though, so if you're interested please hit me up.
Super Bowl Legends, FINALLY:
Topps, in their quest to be collectively named world's biggest douche: sports card division, FINALLY managed to get my redeemed cards to my mailbox, despite ignoring my choice of UPS instead of USPS, even though they charged me UPS rates (more than $8 for five cards!) and blatantly ignored my polite request to reimburse me the difference. This is clearly a company that doesn't give a shit about their customers, but what else is new?
Anyway, the redeemed cards are pretty nice at least. Here's the fronts and backs for Brees, Rice and Elway, all of which are now part of my Trade Bait:
And here are the two I really wanted, both Bradys available through the online promotion: (I hear there's also a hobby shop version that I might try to snag somehow)
A couple quick notes:
- As usual, the scans don't do these justice, but that usually goes without saying. They're very thick and holographic, which is often difficult for scanners to pick up, as I'm sure some of you are highly aware. Very nice looking overall.
- They come with a thin, transparent protector on top, sort of Topps Finest-style, though it doesn't have any obnoxious removal notice on it, so for now I'm inclined to leave those on, especially on the ones available for trade.
- From the preview of the cards the site offered, I had thought these would be serial numbered, but apparently I was wrong. That doesn't detract from them much, just an annoyance and another shitty aspect of their very poorly done site. Again, it's Topps, so what else is new?
- I ended up with these five after a couple two-for-one trades, so technically I unlocked more, but given I entered something like 65 codes, I definitely don't think I got my money's worth on these after buying the case. In retrospect, if I would have known the codes would go for as much as they are now--which they weren't at the time I redeemed them, to be fair--I would have just sold them to recoup some of the cost of the case, then maybe bought or traded for the Bradys, the only ones I really wanted. Well, that's how you learn.
If I'm able to find the third hobby shop-only Brady card, you know you'll all see it here.
Blowout mini blowout: the four hundreding:
I got a nice deal on a small lot on Blowout the other day and those cards showed up very quickly, which was awesome. For $17 delivered I snagged the following:
A Brandon Graham 2010 Playoff Contenders ROTY Contenders insert #d 22/50, plus a Drew Henson 2004 Elite Aspirations RC #d42/93. These both look great, and while I don't usually pick up inserts on places like Blowout, these were only $0.50 each, so good deals. I really like the die-cut Henson, especially because it has a great shot of the former QB from his Michigan days. For $1 for the pair, I certainly couldn't go wrong.
Chad Henne 2008 Leaf Certified Materials Freshman Fabric jersey RC: This great jumbo relic only contributed a buck or two to the overall price, which is fantastic considering it's a great RC of one of my favorite Michigan QBs. The card's #d 180/599 on the back and becomes my 32nd Henne, putting him two behind leader Jake Long and one behind Braylon Edwards. This'll go well with my jersey/ball/auto from the same set.
John Navarre 2004 Press Pass auto: There's another guy on Blowout who's a big-time buyer of Navarre, but he tends to ignore lesser-brand cards like this, which set me back only $1. Fine by me--I'm happy to have another of Navarre in a Michigan uni, and my tenth overall, half of which now share that trait, oddly enough.
Marlin Jackson 2005 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection auto RC: This is the one that set me back the most--he originally had it listed for $15 but I got him to knock a good chunk off of that in the total price. It may seem a little crazy to pay that much for a guy who's not playing at this point, but this is still a fantastic auto/RC of one of Michigan's best DBs in recent memory. The card is thick as hell, numbered 128/150 and features a great looking autograph window which showcases a decent autograph. When a guy like Dan Orlovsky is booking at $40 in this set, you know it has to be pretty high quality, so I'm fine with the ultimate price I paid. This makes nine hits of Jackson in my PC.
Mike Hart 2008 SP Rookie Edition '95 auto: This is one of my favorite recent sets since I found nice deals on boxes of these at Meijer. I never did pull any Michigan autos, but now I have a Hart to go along with my Jake Long. This Hart is one of the variations that uses a previous SP design--1995 in this case. I believe this one was also only a dollar or two, plus it was on my singles wantlist, so hooray for knocking one off that list. This is Hart #14 and I'd definitely like to have more of my favorite Michigan RB.
Tony Pape 2004 Press Pass auto: We finish this package with a new member to my PC, the 56th overall. Pape was a tackle (wearing the same number as Michigan legend Jake Long and current stud Taylor Lewan) drafted by the 'Fins in 2004, and he was definitely one of the better linemen a school known for producing them turned out, especially since he was included in the Wolverine Blog's O-Line of the Decade. For a buck I was more than happy to add him to my collection.
All told, the count now stands at 384. Should I be able to attend a show in a week, that number should grow, plus I know Dustin has some stuff heading my way soon, plus a very exciting addition to his own PC that I can't wait to see myself.
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