Blogger league...ASSEMBLE!

So once again I'm crowdsourcing some information I don't have handy--I'm working on selling some of my trade bait that's just kinda been sitting there so I get some use out of it and don't feel so guilty about spending as much as I do on cards.  While I don't bow down to the holy Bible of sports card pricing, Beckett, I'm out of options here because I can't get market value prices from COMC or completed eBay listings.

SO, the question is, do any of you have a subscription to either Beckett Baseball or Football, or the OPGs?  I'm really just looking for prices on two cards:

Mikie Mahtook/Brian Johnson 2010 Bowman Sterling Refractor dual auto

C.J. Spiller 2010 Press Pass Wal-Mart Exclusives auto #d /25 (bottom middle)

I know the Spiller might be too rare to be priced, which is fine.  But if any of you can help me with prices on either or both of the cards, I would very much appreciate it and could make it up to you in cards or assistance to be named later (answering computer questions would probably be my most valuable non-card service I could offer).  So if you can help, please let me know.  Thanks in advance!

Sunday fun: last call

"Sunday fun" is a bit of a misnomer today, but this is something I've needed to do for a while.  You see this here box?:

This box currently contains all my dupes from over the years that I've hung onto and kept sorted by set in case someone needed them to hack away at their wantlists.  What I'm using it for more often right now is to supplement trade packages--each time I send out stuff from someone's favorite team, I make sure to flip through this box in case I have more team base cards to add to their haul.  It's a nice source for doing something like that, but I've been wanting to consolidate and get rid of a lot of my non-essential stuff.

So, in a lot of cases I don't have all that many cards left when it comes to some of these sets.  When I finally decide to do so, I'm just going to sort what's left of those into my box that's full of trade package material sorted by team.  But I figure while I have these sorted as they are, I should see how much they can help some of you.  So here's the deal:  I'm going to list all the sets I have in that box, and if you're working on one or more of them, leave me a comment or shoot me an email with your wantlist for however many of them you'd like.  I'll then send you whatever I have that you need in return for future considerations; remember, I'm doing this to clear space above all (though I'm happy to help people with set collecting, one of the purest activities of the hobby) so if I never see a return on doing this other than freeing up space, I still come out ahead.  Got all that?  Good, now here's the list:
Note:  few refers to an eyeball estimate of less than 100 or a relatively small amount relative to the size of the set.  Lots refers to more than that.  Tons refers to way more than lots.  Vague, I know, but this is just to give you an idea of what to expect, not to discourage you from sending your lists.

• 2000 Stadium Club (few)
• 2000 Topps (lots)
• 2002 Bowman (few)
• 2004 Bowman (lots)
• 2004 Topps Chrome Traded (lots)
• 2004 Topps Traded (lots)
• 2005 Donruss (some)
• 2005 Topps Chrome (lots)
• 2006 Topps (tons)
• 2007 Topps (tons)
• 2008 Donruss EEE
• 2008 Topps (few)
• 2008 Topps Co-Signers (few)
• 2008 UD Heroes (some)
• 2009 Bowman, Prospects, WBC and Chrome versions (lots)
• 2009 Topps (few)
• 2010 Bowman, Prospects and Chrome (few)
• 2010 Bowman Draft (few)
• 2010 Topps (few)
• 2010 Topps Traded (few)
• 2011 Bowman, Prospects and Chrome (few)

So help yourself while helping me out and take a bunch of these off my hands as you work to fill your sets!

A very Nickelback sucks contest

Rant first, contest later.  However, in a show of good faith, your contest prize is this:

One of my Bowman Chrome Bryce Harper RCs.

You may have heard about this story from someone else or the magic of the interwebz, or maybe you didn't.  The fact is, right now, the Detroit Lions have booked the no talent ass-clown band Nickelback to play during the halftime show of their storied traditional Thanksgiving game against the Packers on November 24th.

I don't think I need to rehash just how terrible the Lions have been for decades, so I won't.  I will, however, emphasize that over the course of the second half of last season and the first half of this one, things finally seem to be turning around for the team, rewarding their fiercely loyal (despite years of reasons not to be) fans who can now say that "next year" is this year.  This is a pretty big deal, and the current staff and players deserves a ton of credit for their hard work.

I think it's also important to remind you that the city of Detroit and the state as a whole has an indelible place in music history thanks to the unique sound that came out of the city called Motown.  A veritable who's who of music legends built up their resumes there as the genre became a driving force behind rock music and a veritable factory for Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers.  It's also worth pointing out some of Michigan's other major contributions to music, for better or for worse, such as Kid Rock, Eminem, and most importantly, Ann Arbor's own Bob Seger.  Truly the city of Detroit possesses a rich history when it comes to music, be it past or present, rock or rap, black or white.

Said team resurgence and musical tradition make the Nickelback choice all the more baffling.  I don't say this lightly, and I promise that I mean every word:  Creed minus Jesus equals Nickelback.  Under normal circumstances, that would be an unforgivable thing to say about anyone--referring to a group as literally the worst non-Jesus pop band ever.  But I mean every single word of that.  It's a fact that Nickelbad produces grating, unoriginal shit that nobody in their right mind likes.  I don't mean that in the sense of "I don't like Nickelback, therefore I'm going to argue that nobody else does to prove my point."  Wrong.  Literally nobody likes Nickelback except Nickelback, who love themselves so much they ripped off their own song.  If I was in an accident that forced me to drive off the bridge and I had the radio on and a Nickelback song came on the radio (in this hypothetical situation it's apparently pre-2006 and I'm still listening to the radio in the car) my first move would be to turn the radio off instantly, and only THEN would I proceed to arrange for my escape.  Nickelback is everything that's wrong with modern music and it's a total slap in the face--no, that's not accurate--it's a total DONG PUNCH that the Lions saw fit to ignore 50-plus years of rich musical history and subject its fans to these Canadian-raised Santorums. (look it up, though I warn you, you won't like what that means, and you DEFINITELY shouldn't look it up at work)

Ok, if you're still with me, we're almost to the contest, but first I have to get to the basis of today's post.  One heroic Michigan grad student with an awesome first name processed this news and said

"A day may come when the reason of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of musicianship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered eardrums, when the age of Motown comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, champions of the West!"

That person created this petition, the first step toward right a horrific and unjust wrong.  My fellow bloggers, I like to think that I haven't solicited your assistance for anything like this in the past, and I'm not asking you to donate money or even get out of your chair.  My goal is not more hits or followers, trades or free cards.

No, I'm asking you for one thing:  for all that is good and holy, sign that petition and help my state's football team avoid making the biggest mistake in team history.  That's right, this situation is so bad that Matt Millen, Joey Harrington and Mike Williams are basically #s 11-13 on a top 10 list of Lions mistakes, and #s 1-10 are NICKEL-FUCKING-BACK PLAYING DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW OF ONE OF THE NFL'S MOST TRADITIONAL GAMES.  Hasn't this franchise been through enough?  Can't we enjoy the resurgence of this team that hasn't been good since our grandparents were our age?

Now, then:  THE CONTEST:  

• Go sign the petition, then leave me a comment saying you did, including your reason if you included one in the form, and make sure I either know which blog you're from or that you include your email address.  Each person who signs gets one entry only. 
• I will give each person who includes a link to that petition (doesn't have to link to this post, the petition is fine) one free additional entry as long as you give me proof one way or another that you included it on your blog.  
• The last way to get more entries:  if your blog post results in even more people signing the petition and giving you proof in your comments, you'll get one free entry per person.  Unlimited entries, so bring it.
• If this contest results in at least 20 total entries of any type above, I will random them off and award the prize to the person who's randomly chosen.
• I will allow entries until Sunday night at 11:59 pm EST, then if I have enough of them, I'll random the card off on Monday.
• I'm keeping track of entries as I receive them HERE.

A reminder of what a couple minutes of your time could procure for you:

As you can see, I'm putting my money cards where my mouth is.  I like to think that this is a fairly enticing offer since Bryce is quite the phenom right now.  I don't care if every other copy of this card disintegrates tomorrow and someone offers to trade me the cure for the common cold--this is my part in a heroic and hopefully successful campaign against assclownery.  So please do your part and give yourself an easy shot at a nice card, you won't regret it.  I thank you, and the city of Detroit especially thanks you!

Help wanted

Since my habit has always been to buy more, more, MORE when it comes to sets, I want to put a temporary stop to that and finish up some of these really, seriously almost complete sets (and some that aren't quite there yet, or at all).  So I'm enlisting you, my fellow card blogging/collecting brethren and sistren to help me finally put some of these sets to bed.  If you can help me finish any, I promise to make it worth your while in cards of your favorite player/team as best as I can.  If you can finish enough sets for me I might even get in a generous mood and throw in an autograph or relic or two (or something).  So please help a fellow collector out so I can get back to pursuing new stuff!

Baseball:

1996 Sportflix: 69 90

1996 Ultra: 523

1997 Bowman's Best: 134

1997 Fleer: 108 212 685

1997 Score Premium Stock: 1 22 24 122 123 130 156 187 215 310 349

1997 Topps Mantle: 12 20 28 32 34

1998 Pinnacle Mint Bronze Cards: 25

1998 Score Rookie Traded: 181

1998 Studio Portraits: 7 10 13 16

1998 Topps Ryan Reprints: 8 10 20

1998 Upper Deck: 18 260 603 610 629
1998 Upper Deck Griffey HR Chronicles: 10 26 30 34 42 43 44 46

1999 Skybox Thunder: 265 281 290

1999 Stadium Club: 141

1999 Topps: 374 461 (Any Sosa)

1999 Upper Deck PowerDeck CDs: 3 10 23 25

2000 Bowman: 180 192 399

2000 Fleer: 129
2000 Fleer Ripken Collection: 2 6 7 9

2000 Ultra: 11 89 200

2000 Upper Deck: 103 120 273 279 280 282 283 285 290 293 294 298 303 304 313 316 321 325 328 330 336 337 342 343 344 346 347 353 355 356 359 363 364 373 379 381 390 399 402 405 406 415 416 424 425 428 429 432 433 438 440 442 446 447 449 451 454 456 458 462 464 466 468 471 484 486 489 494 497 500 509 510 512 515 516 518 520 524 525 530 533 534 536

2000 Upper Deck MVP Set 2: 100

2001 Donruss Retro 2000: 15 23 24 58 63
2001 Donruss Rookie Reprints: 3 5 10 11 14 17 18 20 21 23 25 27 28 29 32 37 40

2001 Fleer Platinum Rookie Reprints: 2 6 8 17

2001 Fleer Triple Crown: 65 92 298

2001 Stadium Club: 160 161 167 170 187 189 191 196 198

2001 Upper Deck: 367 414

2002 Bowman: 1 16 18 20 28 50 70 85 97 100 125 135 147 150 161 166 168 173 175 180 183 184 186 189 191 193 194 197 199 203 204 205 206 212 215 216 218 291 306 392 394 400 408 413 420 431

2002 Donruss Rookies: 95 104

2002 Topps Archives: 10 113 125 136 139 157 174 189

2002 Topps Total: 2 4 23 25 26 39 40 52 61 81 105 119 136 137 139 143 154 160 173 174 179 190 196 200 213 218 227 238 241 245 280 282 288 301 313 317 322 336 338 343 357 359 360 364 377 381 385 388 391 395 399 432 439 440 459 462 472 475 481 483 486 489 497 500 503 506 518 522 528 540 541 560 577 582 595 601 606 607 613 618 619 629 634 642 644 659 671 683 708 713 732 735 738 748 752 759 760 762 770 773 777 778 784 804 808 841 842 847 854 857 859 860 862 863 873 877 880 881 888 890 894 905 913 917 926 928 931 941 944 954 966
2002 Topps Total Award Winners: 4 5 15 21
2002 Topps Total Total Topps: 5 6 18 26 27 34 44

2002 Upper Deck Honor Roll Update: 101 106 107 112 114 124 126 131 135 141 147 161 167 171 172 177 179 185

2002 Upper Deck Victory Update: 551 553 554 557 560 564 570 575 578 581 582 583 584 588 590 594 599 600 605 608 609 610 614 615 616 620 621 622 627 632 633 638 640 645 646 650 651 656 658

2003 Topps Total: 74 114 115 130 138 139 152 154 159 170 179 212 228 238 243 269 319 371 378 396 433 443 479 510 519 557 632 713 721 723 761 767 802 826 854 872 877 921 954 962 965
2003 Topps Total Checklists: 8 15 26 27 28

2004 Bowman: 198

2004 Bowman Draft: 31 33 34 35 36 38 40 42 43 53 54 55 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 79 81 82 84 87 90 91 92 96 97 100 106 108 109 111 112 116 120 142

2004 Fleer Hot Prospects Draft Edition: 14 48

2004 Leaf Second Edition: 4 32 33 42 50 66 82 111 136 182 195

2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites: 5 15 21 25 34 38 50 82 97 112

2004 Topps Traded set 1: 7 13 15 24 76 78 82 89 102 130 170 198
2004 Topps Traded set 2: 5 7 13 14 15 17 18 20 24 28 29 35 36 38 40 42 43 45 47 50 52 55 57 61 62 65 68 76 77 78 82 85 89 90 97 99 100 102 107 111 114 123 130 137 142 154 158 165 170 174 186 193 198 202

2005 Flair: 7 24 30 36

2005 Fleer Patchworks: 4 13 15 29 55 61 68 69

2005 Fleer Tradition: 37 39 43 45 62 70 92 107 133 138 140 143 178 226 230 233 240 245 256 272 273 281 285 291 296 298

2005 Skybox Autographics: 26 40 45 54 60
 
2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites: 12 13 17 18 19 25 26 27 31 34 41 45 46 50 52 55 58 59 60 62 63 64 67 69 72 73 74 84 85 87 90 96 104 107 112 113 118 120 121 124 125 127 131 134 135 136 138 142

2005 Topps Chrome: 2 7 8 9 10 11 18 21 28 30 39 41 44 50 52 56 58 67 68 70 78 81 85 90 94 97 99 102 103 106 110 111 114 125 127 128 130 137 143 151 161 174 177 180 181 182 185 188 190 192 193 195 202 204 208 210 213 217 220 264 269 270 271 275 279 288 289 294 295 297 299 323 326 330 331 335 343 347 354 358 380 395 405 421 425 426 428 433 441 445 453 455 470

2006 Topps: 76 231 274 297 319

2006 Ultra: 75 95

2007 Topps Series 2: 618

2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition (Set 2): 11 15 58 59 67 74 79 96 97

2008 Topps Series 2: 332 335 337 350 354 370 416 451 452 456 487 500 508 533 536 538 575 602 605 644 651 654

2008 Topps Co-Signers: 24 28 50 70 74 78 96 99

2009 Bowman: 4 7 34 39 40 42 43 72 87 88 93 100 107 110 111 121 122 124 129 131 136 144 148 151 156 161 163 172 173 176 177 179 180 203 206 213 216 217 219
2009 Bowman Prospects: 1 8 14 16 18 19 21 23 35 27 30 33 36 38 53 57 58 61 62 64 73 82 84 85 86 88
2009 Bowman WBC Prospects: 3 5 7 9 10 13 17 18

2009 Topps Update: 18 24 30 39 46 100 145 147 224

2010 Bowman: 4 109
2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects: 3 8 10 18 26 27 29 32 42 45 48 52 58 67 82 89 91 92 95 97 101 105 107 109 110

2010 Bowman Draft: 4 9 10 13 18 21 26 27 30 32 34 39 59 61 66 72 73 76 81 89 90 95 97 102 108
2010 Bowman Draft Prospects: 12 23 37 42 47 61 63 65 66 67 72 75 77 78 81 82 86 88 90 92 95 99 100 108 109 

Football:


2000 Topps: 361 362 363 364 370 375 376 385 388 389 398 399

2001 Topps: 358 380

2001 UD MVP: 18 20 24 30 47 62 69 70 82 84 107 115 123 124 139 144 152 162 170 195 199 208 222 228 230 232 234 262 273 297 303 304 311 316 319

2005 Topps: 16 57 85 129 140 142 146 208 248 295 310 384 438

2005 Topps Draft Picks & Prospects: 2 3 6 14 33 35 42 48 58 64 66 78 90 96 105 116 117 120 122 128 129 134 135 136 140 142 150 151 154 158 163 165 166

2006 Bowman: 1 66 67 70 71 73 75 99 114 125 141 151 157 161 179 185 187 191 194 200 225 245 249 255 266 269
2006 Bowman Chrome: 1 3 4 7 8 9 10 13 14 17 18 19 24 28 33 47

2006 Topps: 4 18 25 31 37 38 122 151 154 155 160 170 193 274 297 301 307 344 346 348 350 355 365 369 373

2007 Bowman: 111 137 173 222 226 248 258
2007 Bowman Chrome: 18 33

2008 Sage Hit: 71

2008 SP Rookie Edition (Set 2): 115 120 122 123 125 130 131 134 140 141

2008 Topps: 4 21 22 28 36 41 62 72 77 80 87 97 103 111 128 130 137 138 232 286 292 304 331 332 372 399 410 416 420 428 434 440

2009 Bowman Draft: 14 24 33 47 118 127 149 155 156 160 161 168 176 179 182 190 191 200 214 217 220

2009 Sage Hit:
Set 1: 60 62 64 65 79 81 93
Set 2: 51 60 62 63 64 65 68 73 79 81 84 91 92 93 94 97

2009 Topps: 5 34 85 87 143 174 187 205 215 261 277 293 381 411 425 431 439 CL1 CL4

2010 Absolute Memorabilia Retail:
Set 2: 16 30 58 73 100
Set 3: 3 4 16 17 30 31 45 46 58 59 61 62 73 74 77 87 88 100

2010 Sage Hit:
Set 1: 53 56 59 66 79 95 96
Set 2: 44 47 53 56 58 59 63 65 66 73 79 83 84 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98
Set 3: 44 47
Set 4: 37 41 44 45 47 49
Set 5: 37 39 41 42 44 45 47 49

2010 Score: 301 302 310 318 324 328 330 331 332 339 340 345 346 349 350 351 359 366 371 374 375 376 377 384 385 386 392 393 397 398 400

2010 Topps: 32 57 75 351 360 362