How I Spent My Spring Card Expo - Insert/Parallel Edition

Last post we had a look at the serial numbered cards I had found at the Toronto Spring Card Expo held at the Toronto International Centre from April 29th to May 1st. This time I will show off all of the insert and parallel cards that came home with me. Most of the cards filled in a few gaps of my wantlists that the generous collecting collective know as the blogosphere managed to leave untouched. Others were picked up to send to unsuspecting fellow collectors, and still others were for my own PCs.

Let's get to it.

I found a couple gold parallel cards each from 2009 and 2010 Topps. I like doing parallel team sets like these, it gives me something to pick away at while in between building sets.

2009 Topps Gold Derrek Lee #1163/2009 Gold Omar Infante #0034/2009

2010 Topps Gold Parallel Kosuke Fukudome #1944/2010 Randy Wells #1081/2010

While there appears to be very little difference between the '09 and '10 versions, the biggest and most disappointing difference is that the '09's are gold foil stamped numbering while the '10's are black ink printed. While the numbering is cleaner on the '10's the whole point behind it being a "gold parallel insert set" is the gold. Disappointing.

Another handful of cards from 2010 Topps flagship strictly went towards completing sets, always a good feeling. The '2020 All-Star' cards have grown on me from the first time I pulled one, and 'Turkey Red' is what it is, you either hate it or love it. Guess which one I am.

'History of the World Series' Edgar Renteria card #HWS20

'2020 All-Stars' #T5 - Justin Upton, #T3 - Andre Ethier and #T18 - Clayton Kershaw

'Turkey Red' card #TR62 - Troy Tulowitzki

While I have not been too enthusiastic about the last couple Topps Heritage releases one of the staples that I have found myself collecting is the Heritage inserts. Consistency is what has helped make these insert sets a favorite of mine. I know what to expect and I know what I am getting. I managed to bring myself 6 cards closer to completing the 2010 issues. 3 'Then and Now', 2 'News Flashbacks' and 1 'Baseball Flashbacks'.

'Baseball Flashbacks' #BF9 - Al Kaline

'News Flashbacks' #NF-9 Vostok 1, #NF-9 Venera 1 (Can you REALLY go wrong with space stuff??)

'Then and Now' #TN-8 Ford/Hernandez, #TN-3 Kaline/Mauer, #TN-6 Ford/Greinke

The final 4 cards are just a collection of randomness that either filled a PC need or I simply found interesting enough to buy. I am usually not one to gather Mickey Mantle cards but honestly, how can you turn down Mantle with a basketball?

2007 Topps Allen & Ginter N43 box topper #N43-DW David Wright

1997 Upper Deck 'Star Attractions' #SA3 - Jeff Bagwell

2007 Bowman Heritage Rainbow Foil Parallel #230 - Felix Pie

2006 Topps 1952 Style Mickey Mantle card #7

I really like the N43 A&G's and will always pick them up when I can at a decent price and 50 cents is definitely that.

Keep checking back as I continue to post my finds from the Spring Expo. My next post will cover the autograph cards I purchased for a grand total of around $15.00. Until then.....


Cheers,

Saturday at the LCS

This Saturday provided me with one of the rare opportunities to devote a substantial amount of time to soring out my collection and cataloguing a few more things that have come out of storage. Of course, it also afforded me an opportunity to visit my local card store as well. Usually I limit visits to during the week and they only last long enough to grab a few random packs and place orders for future product. Today I actually had a chance to thumb through several shoeboxes of singles and the ever-present $1 box, chat with the owner and customers about collecting and basically just hang out.

Armed with a couple wantlists for some of the sets I am working on I wound up with a large number of singles to sort out later. Some of the other, more interesting bounty worth sharing that I came home with helped get me closer to completing some insert sets and started me working on a few more collections.

Having decided not to bother with 2010 Topps Heritage this year has made building the insert sets a bit more difficult to say the least, but I still managed to pick up a few. Three 'Baseball Flashback' inserts featuring Luis Aparicio, Warren Spahn and Roger Maris. Two 'Then & Now' inserts featuring Roger Maris/Albert Pujols and Luis Aparicio/Jacoby Ellsbury and 1 'News Flashback' insert featuring Mohammed Hassan II.


I also picked up 4 of 10 base set cards that will make a nice stand alone sub-set. Cards #'d 401-410 parallel the 'Baseball Thrills' cards from the original '61 set. However, three of the cards' subjects differ from the original set, the others are the same except the Mantle (card #406) is featured with a different photo. Here are the four I picked up today paired with their 1961 counterparts.

2010 Topps Heritage #403 (left)
1961 Topps #403 (right)

2010 Topps Heritage #406 (left)
1961 Topps #406 (right)

2010 Topps Heritage #408 (left)
1961 Topps #408 (right)

2010 Topps Heritage #410 (left)
1961 Topps #410 (right)

Either way it matters to me very little, the only card that might have been better to have in the set was Larsen's Perfect Game but in the end it is still a cool looking page of cards when finished. Hopefully someday I will put together the 1961 set of these 10 cards as well. The last Heritage purchase was a chrome Adam Lind card to go towards this years crop of Blue Jays I will be collecting.


Amongst a handful of base cards for Topps Series 1 I snagged a few inserts too, including a gracious and welcoming Derrek Lee, a card I was never lucky enough to own in the first place let alone risk my mother throwing it out, and a card commemorating THE event in Baseball Card History.


While searching through several unmarked shoeboxes of cards I came across some 2009-10 Upper Deck Champs Hockey minis. When this set first came out it was still fairly early on in my return to collecting and so my sights were set more on reacquainting myself with the hobby and trying not to get overwhelmed by too much product. I ignored this release at the time but some of the sub-set cards were interesting. I found these five cards and decided to try and eventually find the rest.


I wanted to make sure that before I left I would take a trip through the dollar box. Seeing the success that some of the other bloggers have had with "bargain bin" cards I had the itch now. Nothing really amazing to find but a few cards that peaked my interest came home with me. I have gathered a few of the 'Topps 50th Anniversary' Reprints from several sources and added a couple more here.


The Ryne Sandberg 'Spirit of the Game' was just to fill a hole in that player collection. The Heritage mini red-back and the T-205 mini were the first pick-up in what will, more than likely, become a bigger collection someday.


All things considered it felt really good to be able to hang out in the card store and get back to one of the aspects of collecting that makes it fun for me. When you get to gather with other collectors, talk about your collection and listen to others talk about theirs, it reinforces why you do this in the first place. Hopefully I can start to make these Saturday visits a regular occurrence, it sure does the soul some good.

Cheers,

2010 Heritage - Takin' a pass

Since getting back into collecting one of the brand releases that caught my eye right off the hop was Topps Heritage. I liked the idea of putting together a set of cards that mirrored a set of cards that I could only dream of owning and a set of cards that featured the top players of today. The fact that the cards are printed on the same stock I remember cards being printed on when I was a much younger collector also appealed to me. All-in-all it seemed like a "can't miss" product.

19 months later I think the "brand-new smell" of Heritage and a much needed re-education on the state of the hobby as it stands today has brought with it some perspective. Unfortunately, the one aspect of collecting that is inescapeable to anyone today is value compared to cost. Topps Heritage is one of those products that just does not seem to deliver.

This years set just does not make me want to run out and build it. Not enough to drop almost 200.00 on a couple boxes and hope I come close to completion. Topps base is different, I am happy to shell out 100+ for a box of jumbos, know I am getting a complete set PLUS a decent shot at some nicely designed inserts. Heritage holds no promise at all. Heritage lives and dies on the collectors desire to own a reprint of that particular years' design.

I tried Topps, I really did. I will be seeking out Blue Jays and Cubs team sets as well as the different players I collect. Who knows, I am looking at a couple of the insert sets with some heavy interest. Sadly, however, this years release will not be on my want lists anytime soon. I bought only five packs but if you have early want lists or want the lot send me an email. I have already promised the Babe Ruth chase cards to 'A Cardboard Problem' so those are spoken for.

Have a good summer Heritage. Maybe I will see you in 2011, DEFINITELY will be seeing you in 2014.

Cheers,