45 Minutes At Mall 205

Saturday was a special day for this cat as I was able to make a quick stop into the Mall 205 card show. The trip was an unplanned one that I only learned about Friday night.

After hitting two card shows at Mall 205 the plan was to take a break from this particular show for a few months. I'd felt like it had run its course for a few months when it comes to adding cards into the collection. Throw in that I plan on hitting the Beaverton show, and the Northwest Largest Garage Sale on consecutive weeks April 9th, and 16th. With those two huge events coming up I just felt more than anything that It'd be best to save up for those.

Then things took a turn that left me with the option to hit the show, and so I took it. The youngin went to visit the mother for Spring Break. Living in the Eastern part of the state we usually meet up in Redmond, but she wanted to do The Gorge for the return home. If that wasn't enough I got a text saying to meet up at noon. What this did is lead me right past Mall 205, and the card show. How can you not think that was fate telling me to drop in for a quick look through the card show? Not only that, but who am I to tell fate I'm not going to listen?

Realizing that I would only have a small window of about 45 minutes I arrived pretty close to ten, and went right to work. There would be no grazing through boxes that didn't show automatic promise as time didn't allow for that.

Starting off on a good foot I nailed down two very cool items that I will let the blogger I picked them up for show these off once I mail them to him. Soon I came across a dealer that I hadn't seen at the other two shows I'd made this year.

Selling a stack of these style cards for fifty cents, and one of them being Kyle Busch I couldn't walk away without this sweet card. It didn't hurt that it was in a pretty good hard case that is probably worth fifty cents itself.

From there it didn't take long to come across a fairly small box full of card that were 3 for $1.00.

Right off the bat I saw the Torii Hunter, and knew I needed it for the 2003 set. The other two were bought just to get me to the three cards needed for the deal. Odds are I will keep them, and do something with them unless there is a collector out there looking for one, or both cards. If you are said collector the Helton is numbered 385/475.

From there things kept rolling with my final purchase of the day. Another dealer I hadn't seen before was loaded up with tons of regional goodies. Looking back I know there was a bunch of other stuff that I should have bought, but all I walked away with was these.

1998 Mariners Upper Deck Pepsi cards. According to the sheet of paper inside there are 12 of the 19 cards for the set inside. Even as writing this I still haven't checked to see if the little sheet of paper is correct. Included are 10 extra's that I will have to figure their future out. Food issue type cards seem to be popular so if anyone wants one or more of the extra cards then they are up for grabs.

The cards I didn't get from the guy was a bunch of the giveaway team sets, and he had them on the cheap. I'm kind of torn on whether passing on them was a good idea, or something I'll regret more later on. I've picked up a couple different years in the past so it would have been cool to have a run of the cards. The big downside is they came incomplete as the idea was to trade your doubles to complete the set. What are the odds of ever being able to complete those now that it's been this long?

For only having 45 minutes I think I did really good with what I brought home. Seeing all these leaves me wondering what more could have been found if I'd only had more time? No big loss as it was a show that without the different travel plans I would have missed. So I'm just looking at these cards as gravy that I'd never known about.

The Power Of One

Back in February I had purchases a hanger pack of 2016 Topps. Having no desire to even consider building the set, or any of its subsets. I threw out that all cards from the post were available for anyone who needed them.

Wanting to cover all bases I offered the cards at the Yahoo group TradingBases for any collectors there who might need the cards. It didn't take long as one of the members Michelle hit me up needed a couple of the cards. Happy to help I put the cards in an envelope, and sent them on their way.

Not long afterward Michelle dropped an envelope of her own on me that showed how powerful one card can be.

What you are seeing is a Berger's Best card #60 from this years Topps. A card that turned what to me was a wasted pack into a pack that was money well spent. I could have bought many a packs, and odds are would have still needed to track this great card down. Thanks to an awesome trade with Michelle I was able to mark it off the needed cards list.

Most of all I learned how powerful one card can be when it comes to turning a pack around. 

There's No Excuse

While growing up we all had excuses for why things never got done. I mean who doesn't remember the classic "The dog ate my homework"? Then as we get, or got older the excuses are even more complex.

Sometimes these excuses are to get us out of things we should have done, but we didn't. Other times they are to get out of situations that we are in, but need to get out of. We've all done that at some point in our life.

With what I have done here I wanted to dream up some form of an excuse. The problem is I just can't do that. All because there is no excuse for not thanking this fellow blogger sooner than now. Heck, the guy has thanked me over, and over a few times for a pair of packages.

First we will start with the blogger that I can't make an excuse to, but just offer an apology. Chris who, runs one of my favorite blogs The Raz Card Blog. Sorry it has taken me this long to get around to showing off a card that left me with my bottom lip on the floor.

Now that I've offered up apology number one how about we start with some excuses that I could try if there was an excuse. The problem is there is no excuse, but why not give it a try.

Excuse- I've been so busy doing things that I haven't had any time to show off the great card Chris sent my way.
Truth- I've had days where I didn't do anything, but sit around watching TV. Those days could have been used for something much more useful. Something like letting Chris know how awesome the card he sent me is.

Excuse- I planned on saving the card for a planned post when the NASCAR season started.
Truth- This does have some truth to it. I did want to do a big post where I showed off the card at the start of the year. Somewhere along the way the card got buried, and I forgot all about it. How I forgot it is beyond me as I will be putting this card in a special place in the hobby room once this post is completed.

Excuse- Most days I come home from work wore out because my boss is the devil, and over works us.
Truth- Well that actually is the truth. Since getting this new boss my posting has taken a serious hit because I'm just to drained to sit here, and think about blogging. Sadly it means I have been dropping the ball when it comes to thanking people for cards like the mind-blowing card sent by Chris.

Now without further ado here it is.

This card now sits on the shelf with my Kyle Busch diecast cars, and other fun items. Thank you so much for the awesome card Chris. When I opened the mailer this card was in I was blown away, and speechless. Maybe that is the truth on why it hasn't been shared until now. I was so speechless that the words couldn't come out./

And Then There Were Two

Since creating the new blog Prowling Cat's Hobbies Madness these type of posts have been moved over there. Despite the change every so often these will appear back here, and I thought this would be the perfect time.

Starting with the fall of 2015 I was doing a full court press on attempting to finish both the NBA, and NBADL business cards. While doing well with the NBADL the NBA has been a very slow process that had still left me with three teams missing. One of those three the Charlotte Hornets got this artelope very late in 2015.

Much like the other couple years it went unanswered, and was thus sent to the lost files.

Unlike the past though, like I said a full court press is currently going on. What this meant is it was time to try something different, and scrap the artelope for the plain old request without the artwork. So a regular good old fashioned envelope was sent out in hope of a much better return. Not knowing what to expect my SASE came back this week, and jackpot!!

The Hornets sent four of the schedules on the top, and more importantly the business card below. Adding this business card now leaves the NBA at two hold outs for a full collection.

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

If anyone is in the area for these two teams I would be forever in your debt if you could nab me just one business card from the team. I'd take more than one card if you felt the need, but one card would make this cat your friend for life.

Once again, if you enjoyed the artelopes project it can be found over at The Prowling Cat's Hobbies Madness. There you will find the list for all my remaining business cards from all the sports. Even if a team isn't on the list I am always willing to take any sports team, and college athletic department business card you are willing to send my way.

Football Joins The Collecting Party

Back when I was a kid we collected football cards with more of a passion than any other sport. Then as we hit the teen years our football cards disappeared, and any collecting we did was for baseball. Not a whole lot of trading was done, but when it was baseball was king.

Then came the early 90's, and my collecting changed over to basketball, and non-sport. Baseball was a backseat that I would pick up Nolan Ryan cards for myself, and possibly the hottest new thing to sell at an upcoming card show. During this time frame pretty much all my football went to the great abyss. The black hole of I don't know where. I had maybe a couple handful of cards left, and why I had them I can't tell you because I don't even know.

Over these past years baseball has become my only collecting. The basketball cards have been slowly getting tossed into either the recycle bin, or the Goodwill box. On a very rare occasion I've been able to hit a wantlist with them. If it wasn't for those times I'd bet the basketball cards would be a handful. Right now they are the verge of that status, but haven't quite gotten there yet. Non-sport cards have been suffering the same fate as what was once two big boxes full of cards is down to one half box, and shrinking slowly.

All this purging leads me into the reason behind this post. While doing another small basketball purge I came across the small handfuls of football cards. Most of the cards were these type.

The ever forgotten about Fleer Action Team cards. If you've caught my posts for this entire year you have noticed not only mentions of these cards. You will have seen the pictures from this post already.

During those I have mentioned that a storm was brewing in my collecting habits, and these cards are that storm. Thinking about all the fun with not just these cards, but the football cards from when we were kids got me wanting to do a little football. While I have no interest of hunting down the cards sets of individual players from that time frame. What I am interested in is trying to build these sets once again.

Ironically these are tough finds, and go right along with my baseball sets building of numerous tough to build sets. Luckily I have a really great head start on the 1985 set as it was the one I found in the box of football cards. The bad news is the stickers, and making a wantlist for them will be the toughest part of this journey. To help I know the blog Fleer Sticker Project did some posts about these stickers. Eventually I plan on going through those posts, and seeing about trying to make a sticker wantlist.

Until then I have now added a link on the side under my baseball set wants, and player collecting for these cards. If anyone out there has even one of these I'd love to add it into the collection.

Next Up The Wants

Besides the player changes I have been going through some changes in my set collecting as well. Some of those changes were huge while the remaining were simply adding sets that I've picked up a couple card of, but never added to the list. First off the the huge change that was made.

Like so many other people that became more serious into collecting, or investing in the 90's. I got caught up in the craze of collecting the minor league cards. You know the whole thing of collecting the rookie card, or was it pre-rookie thing that started going on. That stayed with me when I decided to try, and complete some sets that I'd started in the 90's. Then as I've added more, and more newer sets, and subsets the pre-rookie thing still was with me. Even when I started this blog I added a couple prospect sets into the mix.

As the blogging, and collecting have become even more fun the longer I'm doing it. This winter I started to realize that I'm just not really into the whole prospect thing like I once was. Building a set of 200-300, or more cards in hopes that a couple of the players will be superstars doesn't appeal to me anymore. I am having a blast collecting right now, and want to build sets that call to me. All this transferred over to the player collecting as other than Jon Gray you will notice are established stars. No longer are there a pair of guys that I'm collecting cards of who are still trying to establish themselves.

Four of the minor league sets still remain on the wants, but their place on the list is on the edge. They only stayed on the list for now due to the set being completed, and missing a limited number of subset cards, or being close to completion for the set itself. Don't be surprised if by the end of the year these sets disappear, or I find an interested party to take them on, and complete them.

Onto the more fun, and additions into the set wants.

1995 Collectors Choice You Crash The Game

If you have ever checked out my baseball set wants you have noticed that 1995 Collectors Choice Special Edition silver signatures is on the list. While looking for cards for the set I came across these cards, and thought they would look good with that set. Picking up a couple, but not knowing anything about these cards at the time I got them anyway. Despite not being officially part of the set, they are officially part of my silver signatures subset. Just as I thought they look good in the binder with the silver signatures.

Now I am having the problem of figuring out what the home run dates are for most of these cards. I thought I had a list, but found out that the list didn't match up with the two home run dates that I have. The dates that I do know are right, and are on the wants page were because of researching them through sales on the bay.

2004 Studio Stars

Back a year ago I picked up one of these cards at a show, and showed it off on a post. Not knowing much about the cards a reader stepped up, and answered my questions about them. That has to be one of the great things about being a blogger. If you don't know about a card, or a set, another blogger or reader will know the answer.

Hooked on the cards because I have for some strange reason been a fan of the different stuff. That day I decided that this was going to be a subset that I would eventually build. Adding two cards to go with the initial one I now stand at three of the 50. Then as I started to do the still continuing collections updates, I figured now was the time to make building this subset official.

2009 Ticket To Stardom

After seeing one of these cards in the past I was undecided on if I wanted to build the set or not. Then came another shot this past weekend, and I decided why not try. While I don't collect ticket stubs, I do think they are cool. The crazy thing is I am part of the camp that honestly thinks the Authentix cards are a far better looking cards. Despite this the 2009 Ticket To Stardom cards have grown on me, and the timing is finally right for me to try for this set. Sadly I have seen some of the game-used, auto, etc cards in the past, and I passed on buying them. Who knows if that opportunity came again if I would take it, but right now I probably would.

So there you have it, three new sets into the insanity that is my set building. Besides these three sets I still need to add in the 2015 mascots list, and see if there are any other sets I haven't been updating like I should have. On the fun side, most of my sets have been put in binders for enjoyment in viewing them. A few still need to be done to complete the process, but it has been a fun project.

Player Collecting Changes

This is a post that I've actually had planned for awhile, but with my erratic blogging hasn't gotten done. Then came Spring Training games today, and some motivation to finally get this post done. So, using that newfound motivation it is time to get some serious collecting stuff done, and update all this here on the blog.

As you can tell from the post title this post has to do with updates to the player collecting. In what has become a tradition here, but usually at the first of the year. I sit down, and look over the player collections, and remove the players I am no longer interested in. This years removals contain one surprise, and one probably not very surprising player.

Last year wasn't a very good year for Zunino, and his advancement in his career. After a couple years of hearing about Zunino was the teams present, and future catcher. The Mariners eventually decided that Zunino needed more time in the minors to hopefully improve, and become the catcher they want. Whether that time paid off, or if he will start 2016 in Tacoma I haven't heard. What I do know is that with his struggles during the year I started losing interest in his cards, and gutted the collection even before the year ended.

In what might be the biggest surprise in my player collecting I am dumping Rosario. This move has been a painful one that honestly sucks after all the sweet cards of his I had accumulated since starting this blog. While I will probably keep his cards in the Rockies binder where they currently sit. My dilemma comes in the fact that Rose wasn't able to find any interest from an MLB team. No offers for an invite to spring training, or a chance to earn a spot on a team. All this led to Rosario accepting a contract from a KBO team so he could continue his career. From reading articles the number of players to make this move, and return to the MLB is very small. All this means I have to move on as collecting a guy who isn't on an MLB roster just doesn't appeal to this cat.

Now onto the additions to the players. In the past I've had the list at five as it just seems like a good number for the players to collect. Besides them there has been a few secret guys that I pick cards up here, and there while deciding if I want to make them a serious collection. That group comes, and goes with who is on it all the time.That is why it has remained a secret list as I just can't seem to decide on going full force on them, or not. Starting off this year though the list will be four as I do have one player on the verge, but I just can't seem to pull the trigger on making him a serious collection. Who knows if sometime during the year I decide to add him, and grow the list back to five, or just stay at four until nest year. Until then I give to you the newest addition to the player collection.

You would think with my track record the past couple years when it comes to Rockies pitchers in the collection. Sadly Jon Gray is getting the Prowling Cat's kiss of death by joining the player collection. When we went to the brocation in Seattle last year I headed over for a selfie with Mr. Gray. The guy was awesome, and made me a fan. Out of all the guys there he is the only player that I wish I had a card of to get autographed of during the trip. Despite not being the type of person who waits around to do auto's I wish I would have done it for Jon. I can't help, but root for the guy so he had to join the collection.

Soon if not Wednesday I will hopefully have an update to the set collecting. A few changes were made to the sets I'm collecting with some being removed, and some I've been thinking about for awhile finally got put on the page.