Despite making only ONE post last year, I'm still here and alive. I'll give a brief recap of the end of 2019 to bring you up to speed - bought some cards, sold some cards.

Now it's 2020. It's been a slow year so far in terms of purchases for my personal collection. Investors are driving prices through the roof - from graded 80's cards to current products like Optic Basketball. I've also been focused on searching for a few items I want to add to my collection, rather than purchases that I may end up regretting.

What have I been focused on? Well, I made my annual list of cards to focus on this year, approximately 15 items at this point. Some are specific cards, some are more like categories (i.e. pick up at least one PSA Ted Williams card). My major purchase at the NSCC last year was a gorgeous PSA 3 1954 Topps Hank Aaron RC. It wasn’t on my “focus” list but it was too good of a deal to pass up so it was acceptable deviation from the list.

Next weekend I’ll be at The Philly Show with my good friend Matt (@MWalk66 on Twitter). Give me a shout out here if you’re headed to the show. Hopefully I’ll write again soon.

Until next time..,

(insert usual comments around "sorry for not posting in awhile" and "will try to be better")

Now that we have that out of the way, I am PSYCHED for the 2019 NSCC next week. My favorite part is seeing my friends, making new friends and getting some time hang out with everyone. I should probably figure out what I'm looking for at the show too, since that's another big part of the trip.

Since I'm flying to Chicago, my ability to buy bulk will be limited which is good as I'm trying to thin out my collection as much as possible. Quality > quantity right now. My time at the dime/dollar/etc. boxes will be mostly focused on finding Rookie Cards (top MLB/NBA/NFL rookies, etc.), interesting Red Sox cards and a few of the players I'm focusing on (Jim McMahon, Mitchell Trubisky, etc.).  

​The rest of my focus will be on adding to my PSA collection. I really didn't buy much last year as the prices were a bit too high, especially when compared with recent sales on eBay. I can justify a % increase as I'm able to see and examine the card in person, but some of the prices were far too high to even consider purchasing at the show. I hope dealers will improve on that this year, as there is money to spend ($ today vs. holding out for a higher price and risk holding onto the card for much longer).  I won't get my hopes up though, sadly I think it may be a light year again.

If you're headed to the show, leave me a comment and tell me what you're going to be looking for.  If you can't make the show this year, use that travel $ you saved and tell me what you're currently looking to add to your collection.

​Until next time...

Sadly, Upper Deck's ePack site has a message board that is filled with trolls. Users go about their business posting what they're looking to trade for, yet some users feel the need to troll them and mock what they are requesting.

Therefore - here is definitive proof that I have spent $0.00 on the site since I joined, and have successfully leveraged the daily free packs to get real cards that have real value that I've sold for real cash on COMC.

​Enjoy the read.

I was visitng my in-laws back in June and decided to make a few card shop stops on my drive home. I googled “baseball cards” and started looking along the route I was taking home. I found two shops to try so I hit the road with excitement to check out two new places.

My first stop was a good shop with a super nice guy. The place had a ton of reasonably priced wax and some good singles that were a bit overpriced in my point of view. None of the singles were priced to my liking but I found a box of 2013 Panini Hometown Heroes in the back of the shop for only $40.  I had been wanting to buy a box of this product for some time, but I thought the prices were a bit high.  $40 sounded fair given that you are guaranteed 3 autos per box (mine ended up having a 4th!) plus the base set had a bunch of players you don't see on cardboard too often anymore.

Great product, definitely a fun rip if you can find it at a decent price.
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The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots last night, 41-33, in one of the most exciting games in recent memory. Regardless of who you were rooting for, or if you rooted at all, you may have an interest in the potential hobby impact of the game last night.  Let's look at a few players that will see an impact to their cards:

Nick Foles: This is an obvious one.  Nick Foles had some hobby love during his original run with the Eagles, when he had one of the best statistical seasons ever for a QB. His performance this season after Carson Wentz's injury is sure to re-ignite the value of his cards. Expect to see some increase in value right now, and if he decides to explore the free agency  market for a starting position, you can expect his (potential) new fan base to continue to drive the value before the season.

Corey Clement: If you were following the Eagles this season, you already saw the glimmers of star power throughout the season.  An undrafted rookie this year, Corey stepped his game up at a critical point for the Eagles, and delivered a phenomenal Super Bowl game. Midway through the game, I logged onto COMC and noticed that he barely had any cards listed - so someone swooped them up earlier in the game or during this week. Jay Ajayi and Legarrette Blount have been the bigger names, but don't be surprised if Corey gets a chance to continue to blossom on this team next year.

Carson Wentz: The logical path forward for the Eagles is to return to Carson Wentz as their starting quarterback this year.  The team really never lost a step after Wentz went down with his injury, so you could argue that the team would have likely had the same outcome if Wentz had played the remainder of the games.  Regardless, he is the future of the franchise and I don't think anyone will believe that Nick Foles is their starting QB next year.  Invest now while his prices may be low due to the injury, because the team has just show that they are capable of winning a Super Bowl and will have an even better chance of repeating with a full season of Carson Wentz next year.​

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Here are just a few of the basketball cards I picked up today.  I've been on a  vintage basketball kick lately.  I decided to head to a local card shop that is a bit further than the other shops in my area.  New Concept Sports Cards and Hobby is located in Medford,  NJ, and Marc is the owner I've seen on every trip to the shop.  Super nice guy, always helpful and he's very knowledgeable about the business.  I recommend that you check them out if you're ever in the area!


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Topps Series 1 is typically the unofficial annual start to a new season of products that collectors can get excited about. Topps Series 1, sometimes referred to as the "flagship" brand, gives collectors their first glimpse of players before the start of the new baseball season and has a long, storied tradition in the collecting world.

Reviews have been mixed - some of the topics causing debate are the design, the limited stats on the back, the use of social media handles on the back and number of SPs/inserts in the set.  Use the comment section and let us know what your thoughts are on Topps Series 1.

Personally, I don't see myself buying any boxes/packs this year.  I'll likely pick up some of the RCs at some point, but I'm trying to limit my bulk buying this year and focus more on key card purchases for my personal collection.   

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Greetings!  Sorry it has been awhile since my last post, and I'll try to close the gap between this one and the next.  The 2017 NSCC Show is upon us, and I WILL be attending this year.  My current plan is to attend Friday through Sunday, but there is a slight chance I may be able to come out on Thursday too.  Stay tuned....

As for what I'll be searching for this year for a number of things, here are a few that I'll share:

1) 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams RC: Same top item as last year.  Last year there were maybe 3-5 at the show, and all were very off-center.  I'm hoping to find one in PSA 2-4 condition, well-centered without creases.  Rough corners are fine with me!

2) 2017 Topps Heritage Blue Borders: I have most of the players I want, but will happily pick these up at the right price.  I'm really hoping to find some in the $.25-$.50 boxes, cross your fingers for me.

3) Cool PSA-graded Red Sox cards: Self explanatory.

If you're headed to the show this year, what are the top items you'll be looking for?  If you're not going, what are the top items you're looking to add to your collection?