2016 Blowout Forums purchase: High(-end) (twenty)five!

To say my card purchasing has diminished this year would be an understatement--I finally crossed the $1000 mark this month, putting me on pace to spend half as much as I did in 2015--or less!  That doesn't mean I haven't been able to score some fun pickups, though.

For instance, I recently made a relatively rare deal on the Blowoutcards forums--just the second such purchase I've made this year.  A Tigers collector decided to trim some of the fat from his collection by offering up a pretty nice Detroit lot.  Thing is, I already had a few of the cards he listed, plus there were others I didn't really care for.  So for the hell of it I asked him about the two I was hoping to get.  $33 delivered later I had a very nice envelope on the way.  And for what you could consider two cards for $15 each (plus $3 shipping), I'd argue that I did very well!

(Better yet, that seller noticed I was a Wolverines collector and tossed in a great surprise freebie!  Check that out over on TMM this evening.)

Have a look at what I got and decide for yourselves:

Al Kaline 2016 Immaculate Collection Immaculate Marks Red auto (#14/25)

An autograph of Mr. Tiger is a win; a Kaline signature numbered out of just 25 is a coup!  This is a beautifully executed autograph out of this year's Panini Immaculate product, and it's both super high-end and super thick.  Not only did Panini do a nice job of selecting a photo that minimizes the impact of the lack of logos--they paired that with a gorgeous on-card signature in all its bold blue Sharpie glory.  I like when card designs allow for a clearly-defined space for the 'graph, so I'd say Panini nailed it here.

I'm happy to say that I now own five total autographs of this legendary Tiger, and I sure wouldn't mind adding more before the end of 2016!

Justin Verlander 2007 SP Authentic By the Letter Signatures 'R' manupatch auto (#4a) (#09/25)

MOAR VERLANDERS!  I don't think there's such a thing as a bad JV autograph, but there sure are some nice ones, like this fun example of a letter patch/auto.  Without a doubt I'd crown Upper Deck as the champion of that genre, though Panini's done some nice ones as well.  The foil around the outside looks great in-person, the manupatch is executed well, and there's plenty of room for a solid signature.  I don't know how much I can expect to try to finish this nameplate, but it does give me hope that I was able to find this card for as reasonable of a price as I did.

I now count 228 Verlanders, 17 of which are hits, with four of those being of the autographed variety.

There's nothing like padding your favorite team's collection with stars from "A" to "V"!