The Excess

The box of cardboard fun that has given me hours of joy is crawling to an end.  The cards are almost all most finished getting looked at and sorted.  This was a fun filled purchase and I will look to buy another random 4,000 count box once again.

The set variety and the different teams included gave the box an easy skim.  It was kept interesting by seeing some fresh looking sets like Upper Deck and Fleer.  I even didn't mind looking at some of the newer cards in the box from 2011 and 2012.  For some reason 2010 Topps looks already dated.  The cards appear to be from a distant time when I bought packs of that set at a local CVS and rode home on my bike.  Instead those 2010 Topps cards were purchased at an even more lifeless chain store like a Wal-Mart.

This is all the fun that I have left to dig through.  It is kind of sad for me.  I also wanted to run a contest to give out some of the cards that don't fit into my collection.  This will be a simple contest and only will have one winner.

The first person to leave a comment mentioning the name of any current minor league baseball team will win about 100 2011 Topps Pro Debut cards.  Since this set is from 2011, some of these players have already made their major league debuts.  I also have only taken out a couple Dodgers from here and didn't pick through the rest.

Once again, be the first person to name a current minor league team will be the only winner to claim these 2011 Topps Pro Debut cards.

I will mail them out your way by next week.  Thanks!

The Only Way To Go

The SoCal Baseball and Sports Collectors Expo is being held in Anaheim this weekend.  The show is going to feature many autograph signers such as Tony Gwynn, Matt Kemp and Jesse Orosco.  The show is also going to feature some card dealers as well.

When I first heard about this show, I was reluctant to attend.  Anaheim is an hour or so away from my house.  I am also just not too fond of going to Orange County in general.

The show also has an admission fee and $10 parking plus the long drive.  This was a card show that I was going to pass on.

Then luck came into play.

Roberto from Vin Scully is My Homeboy has been running a bunch of trivia contests giving away free day passes to the show.  I thought to myself, that the only way I would be willing to make the trek to the OC was if I won one of Roberto's contests.

I won the golden ticket!  All my negative thoughts of attending this show have faded and now I am fully committed to having a blast purchasing baseball cards this Friday.  A free ticket will get me to drive to Anaheim.  That is all it took was a free pass.

The SoCal Baseball and Sports Collector's Expo seems like a pretty big show.  A lot of vendors, graders, and signers will be in attendance.  I am still not fully certain what to expect though.

To give back a little to the blogging community, I will like to run a mini contest so, you too can bask in the glory of getting something for free.

I will be sifting through baseball cards all day, mostly for my own collection.  I will probably take a few minutes from purchasing for myself to buy some cardboard for some other bloggers.

Here is the rundown for my quick, little contest:

1.  First 3 people to leave a comment telling me which team that they collect will receive a mystery grab bag that I will construct myself and mail out to you.

That is all you have to do.  I will try to include something really nice to send your way.  Anyone that has traded with me in the past knows that I include a good mix of cards.

Thanks!

Winning by Association

There was an end of year contest that was held at JayBarkerfan's Junk that was won by the great Night Owl.  JayBarkerFan was giving out prizes for this contest.  I believe he gave out cards to the top 3 winners and the dude that first nominated the eventual winner.

The random dude that picked Night Owl first was me!  I didn't expect to get any cards but, some were sent over to me.  I am glad that many other people think Night Owl is the best blog because I got a healthy stack of Hideo Nomo cards for my collection.  I counted 37 Nomo cards plus one gold coin that was sent to me from Wes.

This package has to be a Platter record for most Nomos' in one bubble mailer.  I usually get sent a variety of Dodgers but, this was just a bundle of my boy, Hideo Nomo.  I picked out a handful of my faves from my winnings.

Of course, all the cards that I picked were from the 90s.  That was when Nomo was at his peak and the decade that I feel baseball card sets were at there peak.  The card sets were at there peak due to volume of sets, variety of look, and sheer creativity.  I didn't know that Topps Gallery was out in 1997.  This set looks high end so, at one point it was probably out of my price range.  I was still digging Fleer products and Collector's Choice in 1997.

Metal Universe was a set that my friends and I were stoked about in the mid-90s.  This set was made to appeal to kids. Old school collectors that worked in hobby shops probably hated it when little kids would come in and ask for this product.  Some older collectors that didn't work in a hobby shop probably despised this set when it came out.

I still think it is cool and unique.  I don't think Topps would take a risk like this and release it in 2012.  Too many traditionalists would be up in arms.  Leaf Metal tried to make a comeback at the end of last year but, the set looked like silver foil.  It wasn't inventive and just bland.

I love the 90s card sets.  There is so much non-sense going on here but, I still love it.  I am a collector that loves a ton of shine, colors and photos to be all on one card.  I also like cards that are simple like Allen and Ginter.  No middle ground for me!

This was super cool of Wes from JayBarkerFan's Junk to throw this coin in.  I have no info on this set.  I didn't want to rip this card from it's packaging to read the back of it.  I am also not sure how I am going to display or catalog this card.  Those are good worries to have because this is oddball and golden cool.

I got all of this plus other cards for somebody else being the best.  Awesome stuff, Wes!  Thanks!  Also, thanks to the greatness of Night Owl for getting some votes.  Thanks to all the people that voted for Night Owl because without your support, I would have never gotten a stack of Nomo cards.

Jaybarker Fan Gets Some Pimpage

The blog Jaybarker's Junk is holding a contest to celebrate his 100th post.  Please go and check it out.  The contest is very creative and should be lots of fun.

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.

The Diamond King Is Running A Contest!!!

A new blog that is called The Diamond King is running a contest to get some buzz for his new blog.  So, please go and check out the new kid on the block and join his contest.  Everybody needs a start and this is a good way to check out what The Diamond King has to offer.  It is also a good way to get some free cards.