The Other Side of the Table

Being a vendor at a card show yesterday reinvigorated my interest in baseball cards.  My interest was waning slightly and I began trading less with my blogging comrades.  It wasn't dipping to the point of quitting and selling off my collection.  I was just on a little break from doing something card related everyday such as organizing, blogging or compiling a stack for a trade.

Selling cards to other collectors gave me a different perspective on the card collecting hobby.  I was usually always the guy haggling and searching to find the proper deal for my collection.  This time around I got to be the one offering sweet deals to folks and hopefully making them happy with their purchase.  Making another collector happy, in turn put a smile on my face.

I will now wear two hats as a collector, so to speak.  I will probably set up at another card show this fall with some other Doyer bloggers.  The hat of a Dodger and player collector will always be worn by me.  The new hat of seeking deals on larger lots for resell will also be worn.  I think this will make me a more well rounded hobbyist as a dealer and collector.  I never want to lose the collecting aspect of the hobby and only think about dollars as a seller.  There is more to selling than strictly maximizing profit.  The well being of the collector is also important to me when I am wearing my vendor hat.

By the way, both hats are Dodger hats and my Oakland Raider hat is only worn when I go on crime sprees. So, I guess I am a man that wears three hats.

I also have a new found energy when it comes to blogging.  The show gave me a sense of pride as a proud member of our baseball card collecting cult.  I do have blogger pride and I love the sense of community that we have with each other when we meet up in person.  I may have never met some of my new blogger friends if the Platter never existed.  The community that we have makes me want to type more words for those people to enjoy.

A blogger buddy of mine that I have yet to meet is Napkin Doon.  Actually, I may have met him before as I don't know his name or his face.  He may have crossed my path before and I would have no idea.  Napkin Doon is a mysterious fellow.

This post is the second part of a trade that we made recently.  I wrote about the first part last week and had promised a sequel since his package to me was really awesome.

The dude included a 3-D Kellogg's Steve Garvey card.  Cards like this may even deserve an entire post on its own.  The 70s and 80s had a ton of these multi-purpose, astro turf circular stadiums all around baseball.  They all seemed to look the same.  Is Garvey posing in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?  It is very hard to tell.

I also wonder if people of the future will wonder why so many stadiums in the 90s and 2000s were built to look retro.  Will future baseball fans wonder why so many ballparks resemble Camden Yards?  Why hasn't a team built a stadium that looks futuristic like something from outer space?  Did we really need a new Yankee Stadium that looks like a bigger, crappier version of the old Yankee Stadium?

Those are just some questions for my readers to ponder.  Those are also some questions that I think about when sitting in class learning about the beginnings of ancient civilizations.

 
I opened up a decent amount of Heritage this collecting season and haven't pulled any of these refractor looking cards.  I don't believe I even pulled one of a crummy ballplayer like Brandon League.

An entire set that looks like this may work in our hobby.  It combines the past of the 60s with something shiny and 90s-like.  Maybe an entire set with a blue color scheme would look nice.  Topps combining colors like purple, red and blue doesn't quite work.  If someone dressed with those colors, they would get mistaken for a pimp.  I don't mean a pimp, like a dude that nails tons of chicks.  I mean an actual pimp that sells peoples bodies while wearing some gaudy styled garb.

Napkin Doon sent me this neat vintage Brooklyn Dodgers card of Billy Herman.  My collection lacks some genuine Brooklyn cards and this is much appreciated.  I am not sure why someone spent the money to get this graded.  Is a "4" even considered okay for a '55 Topps card?

I have mentioned this before at the Platter, that I wish a back story would accompany every graded card.  The back story would detail why someone submitted a card for grading, what was the collectors goal after getting this card back and if it met their expectations as far as the graded number.

Who wouldn't want to know why someone sent in a '92 Topps Chris Gwynn to PSA?  The back story for finding a graded card like that may make the card more worthy of a purchase.  The back story may add some humor and life to a graded card of some random dude.

I will probably keep this Herman encased.  I am too scared to crack it open and risk damaging a true Brooklyn card.  I may also forge a back story about this card for future Spiegels to find if they are curious about such things.

This was a fun trade with one of my favorite bloggers.  Now that I am back and focused on collecting, lets get some trades going.  I am heading to the post office this week to mail a few bubble mailers out.  Let me add a few more to the pile.

Good News and Good News

I just got back from a meeting with my college counselor.  I knew that I was getting close to being able to apply for graduation.  I counted only 2 or 3 more classes left.  Today's meeting was about making sure I had enough credits and to fill out some paper work so, I can obtain my associates degree.

The counselor was very helpful and told me that only two more classes for my associates in history and one more class that is required to transfer to Cal State Northridge.  Next Spring, I am going to work less and crank out the last few classes.  Getting my associates degree is going to be a huge accomplishment for me and by next fall I will actually be on a campus of a state university, taking classes, searching for parking and finishing up life goals.

2013 is going to be the start of the Decades of Spiegel.  I can't wait until next year.

Since, I am full of a lot of spirit and energy, it is time for a long form trade post.  This trade post is going to feature cards from blogger superstar named Night Owl who runs a blog that the world has read.  Night Owl sent me a lot of really nice Dodger cards.  He sent them in a little box.

Night Owl is above using bubble mailers.  He prefers sending a stack of baseball cards in a cardboard box.

This card is instantly one of my favorite Mike Piazza cards.  Piazza won the All-Star Game MVP in 1996.  The game took place in his hometown of Philadelphia and it was also the city that I was living in at the time.  It was big news in the area that the city was hosting the All-Star Game and for a local boy like Piazza to win the MVP honors was a perfect story for the game.

I am not sure if this card has been on the Dodger Card Countdown that Night Owl is running.  I don't remember seeing it.  This Piazza may have a chance.

Oddball cards featuring Dodgers always have a binder spot in my collection.  Even Dodger players that I prefer not to look at, get a placed in a binder if they appear on an oddball card.

This is a fantastic action shot of Steve Garvey.  It shows him crushing a baseball and showing off his popeye forearms.  The bottom blue part on the bottom takes away from this photo a bit.  Topps needs to acquire the rights to this photo, revamp Stadium Club and churn this card out for the masses.

It is only that simple, Topps.

These are some of my first 2012 Topps minis.  I have been staring at boxes and packs of these at my local card shop for weeks.  I have been tempted to buy a box or at least a handful of packs.  I must refrain from doing so and just wait until the hundreds of Dodger bloggers out there get some dupes and mail them to me.

The Javy Guerra card is a neat daytime celebration photo.  It would be better if Dioner Navarro wasn't in this picture.  I am surprised the Dodgers actually won this game with Navarro in the line-up.

Are collectors getting frustrated with the over saturation of parallels.  We have all different colors or parallels and also mini sized ones.  When is too much of one card.....too much of one card?

Night Owl has been purging his collection of relics since the card companies got involved in a scandal.  The scandal involved the card companies knowingly buying fake jerseys from some scumbag and sticking the non-game used jerseys in cards.

I understand Night Owl's frustration.  I still would like to obtain cards that have photos of Dodgers on it.  The prices of relics has dropped and the ease in which bloggers mail me them has been beneficial in my quest to obtain Dodgers.

Night Owl gladly dumped a handful of relics on me and I gladly accepted.  He sent me a couple Shawn Green cards.

This is a well designed relic of Paul Lo Duca.  It has a tiny photo of his face, a tiny piece of cloth and a tiny version of a Dodger Stadium ticket.  Fleer added a lot of stuff on this card and I like the effort.  It gives my eyes many things to look at and focus on.

This card is also slightly smaller in size and has a perforated edge on one side.  I miss the creativity that Fleer used to bring to the table.

How many more years until MLB gives another company a license to compete with Topps?

 
One of the relics that Night Owl included features a dude that I never heard of.  He is wearing a Dodger uniform and it stumped me.  This doesn't happen very often.

I had to Google Mike Nixon's name and look up his stats.  Nixon was drafted out of a baseball player factory called Arizona State University.  The Dodgers picked him in the 3rd round of the 2002 draft.  Nixon didn't pan out for the club and his baseball career ended in 2005.

He does have a spot in my collection though.  I may never own a Mike Nixon base card but, I at least have this one of him.  I really like the mountain and the brick building in the background of his photo.  The stadium that he is in is probably pretty nice with a mountain popping out of center field.

This was a wonderful trade and it took me a while to pick out some cards that I wanted to feature at the Platter.  That is usually a good sign of how well received this trade box was.

Thank you for the cards, Night Owl!

My Dodger Haul From A Card Show

My friend and I made a trip down to our local card show called Frank and Sons in the City of Industry,CA.  They hold a twice a week show there with a mix of sports cards, memorabilia, action figures and other collectibles.  I usually try to roll down to the show every other month.  I don't go as often as I like due to money constraints.

Most of the other times that I go, I pick up a hobby box plus some singles.  But, this is a new year and a new way of collecting for me.  I decided to get down on boxes, blasters and packs so, I can put all my collecting dollars more towards cards that fit my needs.  By, spending money more on singles as opposed to playing a game of chance with a pack of cards.  This should build my personal collection a lot more easily and cut down on having random clutter.

One guy at the show had a box of hits for 2 bucks apiece.  That price is right in my budget wheelhouse.  I was able to get some Dodgers as well as some trade bait.  Most of the trade bait that I bought today will be going out shortly to some traders of the blog world.

I love game specific relic cards.  I will keep on saying that every time that I find one to show off at the Platter.  This card contains a piece of jersey that Paul Lo Duca wore during the 2003 All-Star game.  Lo Duca was one of my favorite Dodgers a decade ago.  His name was tarnished by being mentioned in the Mitchell Report.  But, I don't care too much about that, he was still a Dodger and his cards will always fit into my collection.

See, I told you that I don't care about the Mitchell Report.  Lo Duca cards are welcomed into my home.  Oddly, this is my first certified Lo Duca autograph.  I guess that he didn't have too many back in his prime during the 2000s.  I splurged a little and picked this one out of the 5 dollar box.  Since, I was buying in bulk, this card came out to a little less than that.

I thought that my first Lo Duca auto card should be high end.  This card comes from 2004 Leaf Certified and is numbered out of 50.  This card is also super shiny which is a plus.

Back to the finds in the 2 dollar box, I found a game used Steve Garvey that I didn't have.  I dig the young looking photo that they used of Garvey.  He looks like the innocent, golden boy that everyone thought he was in the 70s.

This card is from a SP Authentic set called Cooperstown Calling.  I don't see Cooperstown ever calling Garvey.  He had a really good career but, probably will fall short in his bid to the Hall of Fame.  The only people that may be calling Garvey these days are the I.R.S, an ex-wife/girlfriend seeking child support payments or some middle aged women claiming he is the fathered her child back in '85.

I have a decent sized Andy LaRoche autograph collection going.  This card was probably a big hit to pull out of 2005 Bowman's Best back then.  I am still a fan of LaRoche and don't fully understand how he didn't pan out into something special.  He had great numbers in the minors and good genes because he has other family members that were also big league ball players.  LaRoche just never made the next step in the majors to become big time.  

I love collecting autos of failed Dodger prospects.  LaRoche is my favorite of them all.  I thought he was going to be the cornerstone at the hot corner for the Dodgers.  I followed his minor league and major league career.  I think that is why he is my favorite failed prospect to collect.  He also has many cards and autographs from the mid-2000s.  That gives me plenty of autos to chase.

The card show today was fun.  Spending my limited funds mostly on singles that I want seemed to work out great.  I was also able to pick up some cheap autos of some UCLA football players that I may show off at another time.  So, long to pack ripping for now because I want to see where this next step of collecting takes me.

Spiegel Is A Fan Of Contests!!!

This may come as no surprise, but I do enjoy contests.  Actually, let me rephrase that, I enjoy winning contests.  Wes from the blog Jaybarkerfan's Junk has been giving away cards all summer.  Wes recently held a contest and I think everyone who entered came away with some prize.  I may be wrong but, I do know I was a winner.

I sign up for a lot of contests in the blog world.  Sometimes I win and sometimes I don't.  I am always happy with whatever I get in return.  It usually takes a minimal amount of effort and you get free cards if you win.  It is a great deal for the blog reader.  I thank Wes for hosting this particular contest and I also want to thank all the other bloggers for hosting contests.  You guys are cooler than I.

This was the main prize that Wes sent me.  Most other collectors wouldn't appreciate a card like this.  But, I remember as a kid in the 90s and hearing about Karim Garcia.  He was the next big thing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He was once a prized prospect that never really became a big time player.  He still had a long career and bounced around the big leagues but, was never a super star.

This card is an autograph from 1995 Classic.  It is also on-card which makes it even more valuable to me.  I do enjoy collecting autographs of all Dodgers.  I also like collecting Dodger autos of once hyped but failed prospects.  This Karim Garcia auto fits in with other autos that I have like Andy LaRoche and Chin Lung Hu.  Next on my list is finding an auto of Angel Pena.  Maybe someone in the blog world can help me out with that one.

Wes also sent me some other goodies.  This card is awesome!  This is a 3-D mini of ex-Dodger employee Steve Garvey.  Garvey recently was fired by the Dodgers because he has been trying to get an investment group together to buy the team.  Except, as of right now, the team isn't for sale and Garvey was on the Dodger payroll.  You certainly don't want to publicly try to oust your boss while your boss is signing your checks.  I am also not sure if I feel comfortable with Garvey leading a group to buy a team.  Garvey has done some scummy things in his past like money troubles, cheating on his wife, illegitimate children, and trouble paying his taxes.  The Dodgers already have a sleazy owner and that is not working out well.  I do hope that once the team gets a new owner that Garvey gets his job back in the community relations department.  Garvey is a good guy to have around and make appearances on behalf of the Dodgers. 

This is a 2011 Topps Reprint Roy Campanella Original Back.  I have a ton of reprints of Campy but this is an Original Back.  The Original Backs from this set are so tough to pull.  They must be one per a box.  It may be easier getting a relic than an Original Back.  Thanks for sending this one to me,Wes.  One of these days I may own the original, real deal version of this card. 

I don't own many basketball cards.  I have some cards of UCLA players and of Omri Caspi.  This is the first old school NBA card in my collection.  This is a 1979 Topps Foots Walker card.  Great name,Foots!  I also miss these old school Cavs jersey that Foots is wearing.  It kind of looks like a more modern Atlanta Hawks jersey.  Very nice throw in, Wes.  This card was a pleasant surprise to my winnings and a welcome addition to my PC.

Thanks again,Wes!  Keep up your summer of giving.  I am sure people are a fan of yours all over the blog world.