Giants ’21 Topps Update Series Auto Contest! – NOW CLOSED

This contest is for a Luis Alexander Basabe RC 2021 Topps Update Series 1986 Topps 35th Anniversary Auto. Good luck!!!

Contest Details:

• This contest will end Friday, November 26, 2021 @ 7:00 p.m. EST.
• To enter, please leave a comment in this post.
• You can enter once per day.
• The winner will be selected at random.
• Please provide a valid e-mail address when entering.
• U.S. residents only.
• The winner will receive an e-mail when the contest is over.
• The winner has one week to send me their contact information or the contest will be held again.
• Once the contest is over, I will need the winner’s mailing address so I can ship them this card for FREE!!!

Phillies 2020 Topps Series 1 Relic Contest! – NOW CLOSED

This contest is for a Rhys Hoskins 2020 Topps Series 1 1985 Topps Baseball 35th Anniversary Relic.  Good luck!!!

Contest Details:

• This contest will end Friday, February 28, 2020 @ 8:00 p.m. EST.
• To enter, please leave a comment in this post.
• You can enter once per day.
• The winner will be selected at random.
• Please provide a valid e-mail address when entering.
• U.S. residents only.
• The winner will receive an e-mail when the contest is over.
• The winner has one week to send me their contact information or the contest will be held again.
• Once the contest is over, I will need the winner’s mailing address so I can ship them this card for FREE!!!

The 35th National: Day #3

Today was my last day for attending the 35th National Sports Collectors Convention.  The weekends can get quite crowded that’s why I usually stay for the first three days.  I had it set in my mind to get an autograph, open some more Topps and Upper Deck products, and get more promos today.  And I did just that.

I still have a sealed box of 2014 Topps Minis Baseball to break open.  Over the next several weeks I’ll be showing off what I pulled from the various packs and boxes that I purchased.

Here are the highlights from Day #3.

While checking out the autograph lineup for the day, I ran into sports artist Monty Sheldon.  He’s known for his really cool painted artballs and sketch cards.  Monty Sheldon is also responsible for many of those 1/1 art/patch cards you find in Gypsy Queen.  It was really great to finally meet him in person.

Jim Thome (far left) is one of 8 MLB players in history to hit over 600 career home runs.  I wanted to get his autograph on my bat ever since I saw he was coming.  TRISTAR was moving people through the line very fast.  He was already onto the next item when I tried to get a picture.

Kenny Lofton

Warren Sapp

Wade Boggs

At lunch time I opened one of my boxes of 2014 Allen & Ginter.  I still have to look through a lot before I show off the entire box break, but I did pull my first Rip Card.  Its of Freddie Freeman #’ed/75.  I haven’t ripped it… yet.

Upper Deck was doing their wrapper redemption program again this morning at 10:25 a.m.  Today’s promos were of Michael Jordan, Roberto Osuna, Frank Thomas, Teddy Bridgewater, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and my Amazon.com card was of Reggie Jackson.

To get my promo pack from Upper Deck today, I decided to open another pack of 2014 Upper Deck SP Game-Used Edition Golf.  Inside was a Michelle Wie Tour Gear Dual Shirt #’ed/35.  I also pulled a Victor Dubuisson First Tee Rookies Auto #’ed/199 redemption.

The 35th National: Day #2

Day #2 of the 35th National was a fun one.  Then again, everyday at the National is fun.  I participated in promos from Upper Deck and Topps, then took some time to check out some of the many dealers found outside of the Corporate Area.  I even seemed to pull a little MOJO!

Here are the major highlights of the day for me.

Diamond Stars paintings of “Cards That Never Were” – Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Van Mungo and Billy Werber Diamond Stars cards.

Frank Crosetti Diamond Stars.

1927 World Series (New York Yankees) Press Pin

1902 Pittsburgh Pirates National League Championship Lapel Pin

Dennis Rodman

1992 Donruss Diamond Kings Supers.  This auction house had a complete set on display.  Only 10 sets are known to exist.

I purchased 15 packs of 2014 Topps Baseball and took them over to the Topps booth.  In return I got 6 Allen & Ginter minis – (2) Jim Brown, Johnny Manziel, Mike Trout, Jadeveon Clowney, and Derek Jeter.

Upper Deck started their wrapper redemption program this morning at 10:25 a.m.  Today’s promo cards were of Jack Nicklaus, Joc Pederson, Johnny Manziel, Archie Griffin, and Wayne Gretzky.  I also got one of those Magic Johnson Amazon.com cards.  Wait until you see what I got in the pack I needed to open in order to get these.

In order to get my Upper Deck wrapper redemption pack today, I decided to open a pack of 2014 Upper Deck SP Game-Used Edition Golf.  Inside the pack was this Jack Nicklaus Inked Fabrics Shirt/Auto #’ed/10.  I also pulled a Nancy Lopez Tour Gear Dual Shirt #’ed/35.

The 35th National Has Begun!

Its official.  The 35th National Sports Collectors Convention has begun.  Autographs, cards, and promos are flying all over the place.  Every single collector in the world should be in Cleveland right now.

I arrived in plenty of time to obtain my VIP and Guest/Media credentials.  Then off to the VIP Party I went.  After eating some pizza and a cookie, the show opened to VIPs at 3:30pm.  Take a look!

7x All-Star Dale Murphy signing at the Freedom Cardboard booth.

Now for the pickups.  While waiting in line for Dale Murphy, I just happened to be standing next to the Topps booth.  I decided to pickup a box of 2014 Topps Minis.  With every purchase of a Topps Minis box, you get a jumbo card made just for the show.  I picked Mike Trout.

These OYO minifigures were actually the first promos I got upon entering the show.

I stopped by Marty’s Sports Card Exchange and bought a box of 2014 Allen & Ginter.  The I went to Blowout Cards and bought another just so I could get the Johnny Manziel Beckett Cover card.  Both boxes were unwrapped at the Topps booth and I got my Abreu and Tanaka exclusive National mini promos.  I still need to go through my boxes to see what I got.

Tristar To Provide Gift Bags As Case Breaking Pavilion Takes Center Stage At 35th National

It’s been awhile since I’ve opened a Tristar product.  I loved their OBAK sets they produced for a few years.  Now they seem to focus  more on wresting as far as cards go.

Below is a press release from Tristar that details their plans at the Case Break Pavilion which seems to be shaping up to be one hell of an addition to the show.

By now, it’s safe to say that the hobby phenomenon known as group case breaking isn’t going away anytime soon.  In fact it’s growing.  This important segment of the hobby will be featured center stage at the 35th National Sports Collectors Convention.  Cleveland’s I-X Center will be host to the hobby’s largest collaboration of case breakers ever seen in the hobby.  The inaugural Case Break Pavilion will be housed in a 12,000 sq. ft. arena, adjacent to the Corporate Pavilion and across from the Autograph Pavilion.

Amazon.com Sports Collectibles, is the title sponsor of the Case Break Pavilion & Center Stage.  In the center section of the pavilion will be a multi-purpose stage especially suited for case breaking.  It will also serve as a formal setting for contests, new product releases, special events, autographs, and case breaking.  In addition, GTS Distribution has designed and sponsored the first ever “Case Breakers Lounge”.

Several contests giveaways and promotions will be incorporated into the case breaking festivities throughout the show.

Tristar will be offering “gift bags” to anyone doing an facilitating an online or live break of selected products at the National.  Gifts bags will include 1 autographed item.

In addition to the regular items in the gift bags, random bags will have redemptions for larger items that can be redeemed at the Tristar Merchandise Booth.

Tristar will also be offering a “Thank You gift bag” for the breakers to use at their discretion.

For breaks on the following Tristar products the Breaker will receive:

• Signacuts Football –  6 gift bags
• Series 6 Autographed Baseballs – 4 gift bags
• Football 8×10’s – 6 gifts bags
• Game Changers Baseball – 4 gift bags

Attending breakers interested with any questions may contact:

Janyce Mabra
Director of Packaged Goods Sales
TRISTAR Productions, Inc.
www.tristarproductions.com 
Phone: (817) 312-6925
jmabra@tristarproductions.com 

The 35th Annual Ephrata Lions Club Sports Card Show

The Ephrata Lions Club held their 35th Annual Sports Card Show on Saturday, March 29 at the Ephrata Recreation Center.  This is always one of my favorite shows to attend.  It usually has around 40+ dealers all packing Phillies stuff.  It may not be the biggest show in the world, although when I started attending 17 years ago it was for me, but for Phillies fans it has a lot.

This was actually the first card show I’ve been to since the Lions Club held their show last year.  Card shows around my area don’t pop-up like they use to.  The Ephrata Lions Club always has someone signing autographs for about two hours.  Its usually a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame or an older Phillie.  The Lions Club website originally had Brad Lidge scheduled to appear, but for some reason I guess he couldn’t make it.  He was quickly replaced with 1992 HOF inductee Rollie Fingers.

If you want a low ticket number for the autograph signing, you’ve got to get there right when they open or perhaps a little before.  I arrived about 30 minutes before they opened the doors to the public obtaining autograph ticket #22.  It cost $5.00 to get into the show and $20.00 for an autograph.  That’s not bad!  Especially when the inscriptions and photos are free.  If this were the National, you couldn’t pull that off.

Not only do you want to arrive early for a low ticket number, but it gives you the chance to look around.  I recently sold two bobbleheads from my collection on Sports Card Album and was looking to fill those empty spots.  I happily came across two that struck my fancy.  My goal was to find a Larry Andersen/Scott Franzke dual radio announcer bobblehead, but I didn’t see one.  Its funny.  This year I found five Harry Kalas/Richie Ashburn dual bobbleheads for sale that were a stadium giveaway in 2002.  One year I couldn’t find any and this time I found five.

Speaking of Harry Kalas, I’m always on the lookout for the few cards he has.  One of the new dealers I came across had one under glass that I needed for my collection.  Harry Kalas cards rarely show up for sale online, and finding one I don’t have at a one day card show is a long shot.  I now have all the 2004 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic Signatures cards of HK.

1981 AL Cy Young Award Winner Rollie Fingers

Harry Kalas 2004 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic Signatures Black Ink #’ed/100

Arnold Palmer 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates SGA bobblehead

Crazy Hot Dog Vendor/Ryan Howard 2012 Reading Phillies SGA bobblehead

Show was quite busy!