Nationals ’18 Topps Museum Collection Patch Contest! – NOW CLOSED

This contest is for a Max Scherzer/Stephen Strasburg 2018 Topps Museum Collection Meaningful Material Dual Patch #’ed/50.  Good luck!!!

Contest Details:

• This contest will end Friday, August 24, 2018 @ 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.
• 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!!!

Harrisburg Senators vs. Altoona Curve – 5/26/18 – Strasburg Life Size Bobblehead Unveiling

Twenty-one years ago I attended my first professional baseball game on City Island to watch the Harrisburg Senators take on the New Haven Ravens.  Its a game I’ll never forget because one of the Ravens players gave me a free bat while walking by my section.  I still have that bat hanging on my wall.  I have no clue as to who the player was, but I like to imagine it was Todd Helton.

This summer I’m set to attend one minor league game per month.  All bobblehead giveaways.  My first game this summer took me back to City Island where it all began.  The Harrisburg Senators (AA of the Nationals) were taking on the Altoona Curve (AA of the Pirates).  Two Washington Nationals players, Brian Goodwin and Daniel Murphy, were down with the Senators doing some rehab work.  On Saturday night the Senators inducted Stephen Strasburg into their Life Size Bobblehead Hall of Fame.  The first 1,500 fans through the gates received a replica bobblehead.  Altoona went on to beat the Senators 10-6.

For awhile, the ballpark food at FNB Field seemed fairly normal.  Last year however, I discovered the River City Grille which is located around the backside of the stadium.  Their burgers and fries are superb.  Its become a “must-have” now when I go.  The Hershey’s ice cream next door is good too.

The Harrisburg Senators will have a card featured in 2018 Topps Pro Debut.  It will be part of the Fragments of the Farm set featuring a piece of base from FNB Field.

New video screen above the main gates

Vladimir Guerrero, Cliff Floyd, Bryce Harper, Matt Stairs, Brandon Phillips, Stephen Strasburg

Will Craig of the Altoona Curve

Daniel Murphy

Daniel Murphy

Card of the Day: Stephen Strasburg 2010 Topps T-206 Auto

What’s This? Strasburg’s Chicle Rookie?

Art can do a lot of things.  It can inspire.  It can make you feel happy.  It can make you feel sad.  For some people it can tell them the meaning of life.  Art really doesn’t have any limits.  Anything goes.

Artistic sets aren’t anything new when it comes to sports cards.  Manufacturers have been going that route for certain products for a long time.  Topps had an interesting encounter with collectors when they issued Chicle Baseball in 2010.  Twelve artists were commissioned by Topps to create this 329 card set.  Chicle Baseball isn’t your typical artistically driven product.  Some of the cards feature players in uniforms that they never played in.  Probably the most notable example if this would be the Babe Ruth #276 SP.  Collectors were up in arms about Ruth being painted wearing a Braves uniform.  Babe Ruth did play for the Braves, just not the ones from Atlanta.  You would’ve thought Topps had set a basket of puppies on fire given the reaction collectors had to this angle of card design.  Apparently art can make people a little angry too.  Needless to say, Topps hasn’t issued another Chicle set since.  I’m going to buck the traffic and come out and say that I enjoy the set.  It got people talking.  That’s something that very few products do today.

One of the twelve artists that worked on this set was Monty Sheldon.  He’s responsible for painting guys like Stan Musial, Rogers Hornsby, Joe Morgan, and Stephen Strasburg.  Wait a second!  Stephen Strasburg isn’t in this set… or is he?

 Shortly after Topps released 2010 Chicle Baseball, Monty Sheldon was commissioned to do a painting for an individual.  This painting was to be of Stephen Strasburg and designed to look like one of the paintings Topps would use for their Chicle set.  Upon its completion, Monty Sheldon made some 2010 Chicle mock-up cards based on his work which now reside with the painting’s owner.  This card was almost officially released by Topps in the later part of 2010.  Monty Sheldon told Topps about the painting hoping they would want to make it into a card to insert within another product, but they decided to pass.  Between Chicle not taking off, and Strasburg hurt by that time of the year, it just didn’t make it in.  Even though it wasn’t officially made by Topps, I’m sure there are a couple of die-hard Strasburg fans that would like to get their hands on one of these.  This card #330 isn’t easy to find.

Card of the Day: Stephen Strasburg 2012 Panini Prizm USA Baseball

Card of the Day: Stephen Strasburg 2012 Leaf Best Of Baseball Tempy Moore Sketch Card

Card of the Day: Stephen Strasburg 2010 Topps – Merry Stras-Mas #274

Card of the Day: Stephen Strasburg 2010 Bowman Sterling Auto

Strasburg Heritage = Obtained

The biggest promotional giveaway during this year’s National has to have been the Stephen Strasburg 2010 Topps Heritage RC #’ed/999.  It took me two days to try and get into this line.  Topps had a posted schedule of when they planned to give out these cards, and most of the time people lined up two hours ahead of schedule.  Friday I hovered around the general area where collectors were suppose to line up.  When they said you could get in line, it was a mad rush and I’m sure I ran over a few toes.  I had never seen such a rush for a promo.  Luckily I was able to get one.

#’ed 294/999

Ever see the movie 300?  This is what it was like when they said you could get in line for the Strasburg promo.

The Strasburg 2010 Topps Heritage RC was the hardest promo to obtain in my opinion.  For the first time, I got the idea of what it was like collecting during the early 90’s while attending a National.  Promos are always a big draw, but this was insane.  Some other promos I got include a bunch of Elite cards from Panini such as Brett Favre, John Wall, and Jimmy Clausen all numbered to 499.   Plus I got all the promos that came included inside the VIP packages.

I also pulled some great cards too.  From a box of Ultimate Collection Baseball I pulled a Yankee eight way jersey #’ed/20.  Wednesday I tried my first box of Sportkings and pulled a Joe Greene / Mario Lemieux dual jersey.  LOTS OF GOOD STUFF!!!!!

Strasburg Is Coming To The National

Topps, which has been MIA during the last few National Sports Collectors Conventions, announced today that they will be making an exclusive Stephen Strasburg 2010 Topps Heritage rookie just for the show.  Individuals who open 10 packs of 2010 Topps/Bowman branded baseball cards (except Topps Attax, Topps Opening Day, and the $0.99 Topps Cello packs) at the Topps booth will be given this exclusive Strasburg rookie.  It is limited to 999 copies and you can get one per day.

This promotion is going to be huge.  I hope Topps has some heavy security at their booth because collectors will be lining up quickly.  If you plan on attending The National that first night, it might be a good idea to pick up your 10 packs prior to the show.  Then once the doors open up, you can head to the Topps booth and try to get at least one of the exclusive Strasburgs.

Topps will also be giving away free codes to collectors visiting the booth that can unlock actual cards on the Topps Million Card Giveaway website.  These will be given out once per day to collectors too.