Archive for January, 2008
Sunday, January 27th, 2008
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After breaking open my hot football Target box, it’s time to bust the packs. I’m starting with the first pack out of the box, the 2005 Topps Total Football pack. I’ve never loved Topps Total, but I think it’s a great way to recognize every player. I think it would be pretty disappointing to be a punter or a long snapper on an NFL team and then not show up on a football card. That’s just not fair. (Full disclosure: I was a long snapper on my high school football team).
Let’s rip in:
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Posted in 2005 Topps Total Football | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
I was browsing some other blogs today when I saw a link to Tuff Stuff’s blog, called “Bustin’ Wax.” I swear I hadn’t heard of that site before I registered mine, but I felt pretty dumb nonetheless.
So to the guys over at Tuff Stuff, I am not trying to get in our your turf! The ‘g’ is for me and the ‘apostrophe’ is all yours!
Posted in Site News | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
I have a confession to make — I’m a sucker for those packaged deals that you usually find at the local Target. You know the one, either the boxed deals or the blister packs that promise “one autograph or memorabilia guaranteed” or the “one graded rookie card guaranteed”. I can’t stop myself. I know I’m going to get absolute garbage. But it’s a sickness and I can’t help myself. I was quite relieved, however, when I was reading another card blog (I don’t remember who it was, or I would link them) and noticed that he also had purchased one of these packages. Suddenly it was okay if I picked one of these up, too. There’s security in numbers. I’m not alone in my dementia.
So a couple weeks ago, at Target, I noticed one of these prepackaged boxes, promising a graded rookie card, four packs and “a bonus.” I investigated further and something seemed amiss. For one, the lid looked tampered with, as if someone tried to peak in to see which graded card they were going to get. Another red flag was the absence of any other similar boxes. Even still, I decided to bite and picked it up. How could I go wrong for ten bucks?
These boxes remind me of picking up a “Grab Bag” at card shows when I was a kid. Remember those? In a little brown lunch bag? For two bucks you hoped you’d be getting an ‘84 Topps Mattingly or an ‘85 Fleer Clemens. But you ended up with an ‘85 Topps Ed Hodge and three ‘88 Donruss Rafael Palmeiros? Yeah, that’s usually what happens when I pick these boxes up, too.
So in the name of busting wax, let’s open the box and see what goodness lies within:
This was certainly unexpected. I actually think Cutler is going to be an above average quarterback. He’s not the next John Elway, but he’s definitely an upgrade from Jake the Snake. So this actually isn’t that bad of a card to get, even if it’s just his base Score rookie card.
Besides the Cutler card, what four packs were included? The four packs were 2005 Topps Total, 2007 Upper Deck NFL Artifacts, 2007 Press Pass, and 2006 Donruss Gridiron Gear. Along with those four was a stowaway pack, a Leaf Stars and Rookies. I can’t tell if this is the “Bonus” mentioned on the box, but I doubt it. It had one of those mark-down stickers you often see on old packs at Target. I think someone tossed an extra pack in, with the intention of getting some free stuff on the side. Well boo for them, yay for me.
They glued the packs to this inner piece of cardboard with gorilla glue or something, because it’s almost impossible to separate the packs from it. I’m certain some of the cards in these packs were damaged as I tried to remove them from the death grip of the cardboard.
More busting awaits!
Posted in Grab Bag, Target Boxes | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008
There’s a lot of wax busting about to happen around these parts
Posted in Wax Bust | No Comments »
Monday, January 21st, 2008
I may have deleted a few of your comments that inadvertently went straight to the spam pile, bypassing the moderation pile. I made sure I checked the right box for the “good comments” but then hit the “delete all” button instead of the “not spam” button. Gah! I apologize if your comment got zapped. I really appreciate the comments so far, and it’s suicide for a burgeoning blog to be deleting comments left-and-right, so I’m already starting off on a bad foot.
I’ve been using WordPress for years, so this wasn’t a newbie mistake. Just me being anxious to approve my new comments, only to send them off to oblivion.
So again, sorry if your comments were lost. I’ll endeavor not to let that happen again.
We’ll return to the regularly scheduled blogging soon.
Posted in Site News | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
This was a really odd pack.
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Posted in 2007 Topps Chrome Football, Football | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
A couple quick items: I purchased a few packs and documented them before I started the blog, so I have a bit of a queue of posts before I get to new busts. I’m still working out the kinks of the camera set up and lighting and what not, so the system isn’t perfect just yet. Improvements are showing.
Here’s my second pack I busted: 2007-08 Upper Deck Artifacts Basketball. I really think this line is sharp. I forgot to snap a pic of the unopened pack, so you’ll have to see the side-view first. I take this picture first, because it’s how I open packs. I rip the top and immediately peer inside for the tell-tale thick cards, sometimes meaning a memorabilia card is found within. Just a funny quirk of mine:
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Posted in 2007-08 Upper Deck Artifacts Basketball, Basketball, Wax Bust | 4 Comments »
Monday, January 14th, 2008
The first bust I’m posting here isn’t anything special. As I mentioned in my “what I collect” post, I am a sucker for the SP line. This first pack is simply a 2007 SP Authentic Baseball pack.
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Posted in 2007 SP Authentic Baseball, Baseball, Wax Bust | 3 Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
What’s the point of collecting if you’re not actively, you know, collecting something? So even though I live for the thrill of the bust, I do enjoy hunting the elusive cards of certain players.
I am first and foremost an Ohio State Buckeye fan, in all their sports forms. Football first, obviously, with basketball a distant second. Ohio State isn’t exactly known for its prowess on the baseball diamond, but there are a few Buckeye ball players enjoying success in the major leagues (Nick Swisher comes immediately to mind. And… no one else). But the field is rich for football and, to a lesser extent, basketball, players to collect.
In addition to seeking out OSU-alums, I’m also a big fan of the Cleveland teams (Indians, Browns, Cavs) so I’m always on the prowl for any local stars. It doesn’t hurt that the greatest basketball player of the 21st century plays in Cleveland. I love me some LeBron cards. Pretty much, if they play for my team and don’t make my stomach turn, I have a collection of them.
Which brings up another point — it’s hard to be a die-hard fan of a local professional team when they draft a player from the enemy, which is exactly what the Browns have been doing lately. First they took Kellen Winslow Jr. a few years ago, when I couldn’t stand him. The next year they drafted Braylon Edwards from the loathsome Michigan Wolverines. Both drafts were hard to swallow but I’ve warmed up to them (and they’re really good ball players) so I figure out ways to deal with it.
In addition, I often find an affinity to a player that isn’t a member of a team of mine. The most prominent player I readlly liked was Rickey Henderson (I got a kick when someone linked the Rickey Henderson Collectibles blog). I have hundreds of different Henderson cards. Trading a stack of great cards for his 1980 Topps Rookie card was a highlight of my early collecting adventures. Other players, such as Walter Payton and Dirk Nowitzki have stolen my fancy at different points.
So I’m not a set builder (usually). I’m just after fun pulls. One of these days I should try to build an actual set.
See also:
What I collect - Brands
What I collect - What I’m looking for
Posted in Collecting | 6 Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
I collect cards as a hobby, but I can’t ignore that they can also be seen as an investment, however risky or fleeting it may be. I am a sports fan and I do collect cards of my favorite players, but if I stumble across a valuable card of a player of little value to me (say, an autograph of Reggie Bush) then I have no problem flipping that card for a little money. It will just go into buying more cards and hoping I get a valuable card of someone I enjoy as a fan (say, an autograph of LeBron James).
So what I’m looking for is actually pretty obvious — I look for cards that are worth more than the pack they came in. If I don’t get any of those, I hope to get a card of someone I actually care about (see here). In the end, I’m just looking for a little rush opening a new pack and a little something-something from the pack to tide me over to the next pack.
Along with that, I really get a rush finding a numbered card in a pack. There’s a little part of my brain that receives pleasure whenever I see that little metallic stamp of XXXX/YYYY. Can’t get enough of those. Throw that little numbering on an autograph or memorabilia card and I’m pretty much a puppy with two peters. I’m not totally down with all the terminology or slang, but I pretend that I am. I love parallels and anything else numbered. If I can’t get anything from the first two groups (valuable cards, players I collect), a numbered parallel is always good to me.
So, to recap:
Valuable/rare cards > cards of players I like > numbered cards > kicks in the nads (AKA a pack full of junk).
That about sums it up!
See also:
What I collect - Brands
What I collect - Players
Posted in Collecting | 2 Comments »
