Busting Wax » Wax Bust

2008 – Upper Deck Baseball – Bust #0022

Tony — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:26:55 +0000

This is the last post in my last burst of wax busting that ended a few months ago. I put a bunch of posts together with the plan to slowly post them over a period of time. Of course, best laid plans always work out, right? Either way, I’m now all caught up on my past wax busts and it’s now time to move on to some actual current products. But before we can get to that one, let’s bust one more pack of 2008 Upper Deck Baseball.

The Contents

22 – Lenny DiNardo – We have to point out Mr. Dinardo’s card here, with the close-up on ol’ Lenny’s OH! face. That is some high quality photography there. Catching Lenny in the heat of the moment gets a highlight in my book.

205 – Shawn Chacon
139 – Ichiro
217 – Hank Blalock
98 – Mark Reynolds
293 – Mike Mussina
230 – Coco Crisp
266 – Brandon Inge

97-AP – Albert Pujols Game Used Jersey – This is a pretty strong pack (Ichiro, Chamberlain, Fielder) but this Pujols GU takes this pack from strong to absolutely solid. Sure, game used cards like this one are becoming common place, but it’s better than 90% of the common GU’s out there.

57 – Prince Fielder
18 – Ty Wigginton
291 – Andy Pettitte
255 – Joel Peralta

294 – Joba Chamberlain

316 -Alberto Gonzalez RC
343 – Seth Smith RC
352 – Lance Berkman Team Checklist
340 – Clint Sammons
394 – Justin Verlander Season Highlights

108 – Nomar Garciaparra Gold (84/99) – This is the first numbered UD 08 card I’ve hit, and I do love me some numbered cards. Numbered Nomars if you will.

To recap:
Pack: 2008 Upper Deck Baseball (Hobby)
Cost: $5.60

The pulls: 97-AP – Albert Pujols Game Used Jersey, Prince Fielder, 294 – Joba Chamberlain, 108 – Nomar Garciaparra Gold (84/99)

The verdict: This is a hobby pack, so some good cards should be expected, but a Game Used and a Numbered in the same pack makes this pack buster very happy.

2007 – SP Authentic Football – Bust #0021

Tony — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 02:17:40 +0000

I’ve almost caught up with my pack busts. Here’s another 2007 SP Authentic Football bust. Another nice pick up on the cheap!

Another side view forgotten

56 – Marion Barber III

21 – Derek Anderson

242 – Zach Miller Rookie Autograph (715/999)

6 – Ben Roethlisberger
62 – Matt Leinart

To recap:
Pack: 2007 SP Authentic Foobtall
Cost: $6.00

The pulls:
242 – Zach Miller Rookie Autograph (715/999)

The verdict: This one is a little harder to gauge. Again, a rookie Auto is nice. But it’s of a tight end. That’s hard to stand out in the collecting public eye.

2007 – SP Authentic Football – Bust #0020

Tony — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:45:29 +0000

Yes, I’m still around, and yes, I still have a backlog of older pack breaks. No need to throw them out, though. So on with another one: With pack-coverboy Brady Quinn, how can I pass up SP Authentic? This is the first pack of SP Authentic I’ve busted, so let’s dive right in

No side view for this one. I must have fell asleep at the wheel on this one.

The Contents

75 – Rex Grossman – Poor Chicago, stuck with Sexy Rexy. He is the definition of not living up to your potential.

33 – Edgerrin James – So many fronts in his mouth, I thought he was the Golden Child

211 – David Clowney Autograph (0095/1199) – Sweet, a Rookie Auto! I only have one problem with this one — this guys name. When you think of rookies and their names, I’m almost sure there’s a correlation to how pleasant it sounds and how good of a rookie season they have. Vince Young rolls off the tongue. He had a great rookie season. Adrian Peterson sounds like a football player. He was Rookie of the Year. David Clowney? Clowney? He’s doomed. This card’s value is plummeting as we speak.

62 – Matt Leinart
16 – Carson Palmer – Two USC Trojans in a row. One of these is not like the other.

To recap:
Pack: 2007 SP Authentic Football (Hobby)
Cost: $6.00

The Pulls:
211 – David Clowney Autograph (0095/1199)

The Verdict: The rookie auto is of a cat named Clowney. How can I get excited about that?

2007-08 – UD Artifacts Basketball – Bust #0018

Tony — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:19:48 +0000

Yeah, so posting here has been tres light. I apologize about that. A lot of stuff going on (GTA IV, mostly) and my interest is starting to wane again in the card collecting department. But I still want to make a go of this site, so I’m going to at least post the backlog of posts I’ve already got queued up, and we’ll go from there.

Another single-pack blister I picked up at Kroger. The 2007-08 NBA Artifacts is a fave, so I’m always grabbing packs but never having any real success. This is the first retail pack of this product where I actually hit something decent.

The Contents

69 – Jameer Nelson – I swear I get this card every third pack of Artifacts I open. I am tired of looking at it.
3 – Marvin Williams

105 – Jeff Green RC (690/699) – I’m only posting this card in picture form. I really like this hit. I think Green has the potential to be something special. I watched him a lot at Georgetown (especially when the Buckeyes beat them in the Final Four, baby!!) and he’ll be a star in the NBA, soon.

55 – Randy Foye
38 – Cuttino Mobley

To recap:
Pack: 2007-08 Upper Deck Artifacts Basketball (Retail)
Cost: $2.99

The pulls:
105 – Jeff Green RC (690/699)

The verdict: From a cost/reward standpoint, this pack was a success. I like the Green rookie card and hate Jameer Nelson’s face. So I guess it’s a push from that standpoint. We’ll call this one a draw.

2008 – Topps Baseball – Bust #0017

Tony — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:40:36 +0000

The first pack of 2008 Topps for me, Hobby Style. I usually pick up Jumbo packs from the hobby store, but they were out, so I had to settle for some packs. No worries, I’ve got a good feeling.

The Contents

284 – Lance Broadway RC
179 – Chris Young Postseason Highlights

330 – Curtis Granderson – This picture is cracking me up. His signature is a big scribble and it’s all over his crotchal region. It reminds me of what kids used to do to their yearbooks, scribbling over kids faces they didn’t like. I don’t know why I was reminded of that, but I LOL’ed nonetheless.

198 – Shannon Stewart
167 – Jason Hirsh
185 – Yunel Escobar

195 – Todd Helton Black (40/57) – Alright, a very nice looking black bordered Todd Helton. Numbered cards excite me.
103 – Jonathan Albaladejo Gold Foil – These guys and their names! Pity the radio announcer when this guy pitches.
122 – Jason Varitek
52 – Trevor Hoffman

To recap:
Pack: 2008 Topps Baseball (Hobby)
Cost: $2.00

The pulls:
195 – Todd Helton Black (40/57)

The verdict: I’m not sure what the black variations are worth, but I really like the way this version of the card looks. I hope to get more of these.

2007 – Bowman Football – Bust #0016

Tony — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:37:25 +0000

This pack was actually purchased at the local Kroger. I can’t help myself when I stop in to pick something up from the store and I must (MUST!) grab at least two packs of cards. I restrict myself to cards in blister packs, to thwart the nasty pack searchers, but that limits my options greatly. That didn’t deter me from grabbing this pack of 2007 Bowman Football.

Shall we?

The Contents

112 – Brady Quinn RC – This is a great start to a football back — a Quinn rookie card. He’s a local hero (my kids will be going to his high school) and a Brownie. Great start.

206 – Josh Wilson RC
215 – Aaron Rouse
200 – Aaron Ross – What are the chances of that? Two Aarons, with similar last names. Creepy.
37 – Fred Taylor
4 – Steve McNair

BRC-MT – Mike Tomlin Rookie Coaches Autograph Redemption Card – This is the first redemption card I’ve ever hit, so this is exciting! Oh, wait. Tomlin? Seriously? The Steelers head coach? Crap. Oh well, it will still be fun to redeem this one.

162 – Dallas Baker Gold RC
BC22 – Scott Chandler Chrome RC
BC44 Le’Ron McClain Chrome RC

To recap:
Pack: 2007 Bowman Football (Retail)
Cost: $2.99

The Pulls:
112 – Brady Quinn RC
BRC-MT – Mike Tomlin Rookie Coaches Autograph Redemption Card

The verdict: The Quinn and the Tomlin Autograph make this pack worth many times over what I paid for it. That means the verdict is very positive. This was a great pack.

2008 – Upper Deck Baseball – Bust #0015

Tony — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:37:25 +0000

I liked the way the previous post looked that I’m just going to follow it up with another 2008 Upper Deck Baseball wax bust. I have been having some pretty decent luck with this product, so why not keep the mojo flowing?

Another side view, another thick card. What does this pack hold?

The Contents

289 – Jerry Owens
55 – Matt Wise
16 – Mark Loretta
133 – J.J. Putz
8 – Casey Kotchman
281 – Mark Buehrle
86 – B.J. Upton
203 – Shane Youman
89 – Josh Wilson

99-RW – Rickie Weeks Game Jersey – Hmmm, another 08 UD jersey card, this one a “Game Jersey” but I can’t get excited about this one, because I have no idea who Rickie Weeks is. Any Brewers fan out there want to enlighten me?

6 – Mike Napoli
45 – Peter Moylan

123 – Cliff Lee – Another Indian as well. Cliff Lee had a rough go this past year, Indians fans are hoping he gets his stuff back. The word out of training camp is that his stuff looks good so far.

279 – Torii Hunter
240 – Adam Dunn
375 – Matt Holliday Team Checklist
312 – Willie Collazo RC

393 – Johan Santana Season Highlights – Another Upper Deck picture that I love love love. The K’s in the background are awesome. The fact that Santana is in the National League is awesome, as well.

333 – Josh Newman
366 – David Wright Team Checklist

To recap:
Pack: 2008 Upper Deck Baseball (Hobby)
Cost: $5.00

The Pulls:
99-RW – Rickie Weeks Game Jersey

The Verdict – I’m enjoying Upper Deck’s first baseball offering. The Weeks’ jersey card is nice, but this pack isn’t anything to write home about.

2008 – Upper Deck Baseball – Bust #0014

Tony — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:45:25 +0000

This post contains couple of firsts for Busting Wax dot com. First, is my new photo/camera set up. Gone are my fat fingers from the pictures. I’ve set myself up a little stand for my cards, so the pictures look a little better. I’ll also be cropping the cards differently, so hopefully that improves the look of things as well. I am still working out kinks like proper lighting, but I think it’s an improvement. This is also my first 2008 product that I’ve busted. I bought it at a card show last month, I’m just now getting around to posting it. Finally, I’m not including a picture of every player for this pack, since the hobby UD packs have 20 cards and I just don’t have anything to say about most of these guys. I’ll give the list of the contents, then post some pictures of a few of these cards.

Let’s get on with the bust!

This isn’t my best side-view shot, but you can see that one of those cards in there is not like the others. Jersey city, here we come.

The Contents

49 – Willie Harris
10 – Garret Anderson
208 – Adam LaRoche

130 – Franklin Gutierrez – Goot! The first Indian of the year is the young, promising Gutierrez. He had a strong July last year, which unfortunately didn’t carry into October, but I think Franklin has a strong future. Hopefully it’s in Cleveland.

247 – Todd Helton
272 – Boof Bonser
116 – Bengie Molina
56 – Johnny Estrada
136 – Brandon Morrow

UD-JP – Jake Peavy UD Jersey – Not the best jersey card, but I’m not going to complain. First HIT of the year is a jersey from a decent pitcher. It could have been worse!

12 – Wandy Rodriguez
186 – Josh Bard
108 – Nomar Garciaparra
225 – Manny Delcarmen

69 – Jim Edmonds – A lot of people are commenting on the excellent photography that Upper Deck is hitting us with in this set. This nice Edmonds shot convinces me to concur.

350 – Bill White RC
341 – Bronson Sardinha
359 – BJ Upton Team Checklist
315 – Harvey Garcia
386 – Frank Thomas Season Highlights

To Recap:
Pack: 2008 Upper Deck Baseball (Hobby)
Cost: $5.00

The Pulls:
(I’m not going to list everything again, just the good ones)
UD-JP – Jake Peavy UD Jersey

Verdict – Yeah, outside of the Peavy Jersey, this pack was kind of a disappointment. Nevertheless, this was a fun first pack for 2008. Here’s to hoping the hits keep coming.

2007 Upper Deck Artifacts Baseball – Bust #0013

Tony — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:37:10 +0000

I like the look of the baseball 2007 Upper Deck Artifacts. They’re not spectacular, but they’re not horrible, either. I picked this one up sometime last month at hobby shop #1.

Holy smokes, that’s a thick card there. Man, I love looking at the thickness of cards when I bust a pack. The rush of adrenaline when you see that thick white card is always fun. What could it be?

The Contents

67 – Jim Edmonds – Not a great start. Edmonds isn’t a bad player, per se, but he’s never done it for me.

AA-AR – Aramis Ramirez (05/50) – Hmmm. Not sure what to think here. Ramirez isn’t a bad player, but he’s not exactly tearing anything up. Nevertheless, this is a nice Patch Parallel, numbered to 50. I shouldn’t complain, it’s a decent card.

To recap:
Pack: 2007 Upper Deck Artifacts Baseball (Hobby)
Cost: $11

The Pulls:
67 – Jim Edmonds
AA-AR – Aramis Ramirez (05/50)

Verdict: The Ramirez patch card is nice, making the pack worth its price, it just would have been nicer if it was someone I cared about. You can’t win them all.

2005 – Bowman Chrome Baseball – Bust #0012

Tony — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:42:21 +0000

The hits don’t stop, and this pack doesn’t disappoint. There are two local hobby shops I frequent. I picked this particular pack out of one of the stores “buy-one-get-one-free” box. The owner usually stocks it with stuff he can’t get rid off, but I couldn’t pass up Bowman Chrome, no matter what year or sport. I don’t remember if he had more, but I’d be kicking myself now if he did.

We take a look at the side view, but this doesn’t reveal anything. But the best is yet to come.

The Contents

316 – Carlos Gonzalez RC – Don’t look at me, I don’t know who senor Gonzalez is. Sorry!

331 – Justin Verlander RC – An autograph!! Holy Moses, that is beautiful. Detroit’s best pitcher, one of the better pitchers in the American League and a fricken autographed rookie. Throw in his no-hitter last year and this is a very nice piece of cardboard. I immediately looked the book value on this (I use Tuff Stuff) and it was showing 80 bucks. Not too shabby.

55 – Johnny Damon – Johnny is a Red Sox uni. I know that chaps a lot of people’s hides to see him in his old threads.

133 – Edgar Renteria – Two BoSox in the same pack? Is this some kind of joke?

To recap:
Pack: 2005 Bowman Chrome (Hobby)
Price: $3.50

Pulls:
316 – Carlos Gonzalez RC
331 – Justin Verlander RC Auto
55 – Johnny Damon
133 – Edgar Renteria

Verdict: Wow. Best rip so far this year. The Verlander Auto is very very nice.