the lost art of the hand signed auto

If you're looking for a card that is an investment, this post is not for you. Hand signed cards can be had at a fraction of the price of a certified auto from a pack. Here is a great example of a beautiful UD Masterpieces hockey card. It has been hand signed and just looks amazing. The seller has many hand signed cards from UD Masterpieces, and let me tell you, I really like the look of 'em. This card will be a steal for whoever picks it up. It just might be me!

i just crush a lot

He has six straight seasons with 40 or more HRs. He averages 40 HRs per 162 games played. He is 28 years old with 278 career HRs. Who could I be talking about? Adam Dunn of course! Do you realize that his 162 Game HR average is better than Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Griffey Jr., Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson, and Mike Schmidt? Think about that for one second. This guy is going to go down as one of the best sluggers ever. He is only 28 for crying out loud!

In 30 years, no one will remember is 180 Ks per season. Nope, the only think he will be remembered for are his 615 HRs that he'll finish with barring injury. Do yourself a favor and pick up some certified Adam Dunn autos. They will be a really nice addition to your collection. Here's a nice example that will probably go for under $20. You can't afford spending 20 bucks on a card your say? Well, skip the delivery pizza this week and snag this beauty.

what is an awesome auto?

"I'll take 'Anal Bum Cover' for $7000, Trebeck."

I'm a huge Jeopardy fan and would like to be a contestant someday as I have a wealth of useless knowledge; however, I will never know as much as this dude. How cool would it be to have a Ken Jennings certified auto?

Now, I'm not a huge fan of Allen and Ginter putting non-baseball cards in their baseball packs, but this is really cool. I understand that they are following the traditional Allen and Ginter Champions of the World theme. Maybe I'm just mad because I got a bunch of WNBA players in my first and only pack.

the san francis ...err boston treat

Want to pick up a cheap auto of a future Hall of Famer? No, he isn't currently playing, and this definitely isn't his first year on the ballet, but I think 2009 is the year for Jim Rice. He finished just shy of the required 75% of the votes last year.

If you look at the criteria that voters are supped to use, Jim Rice certainly fits the bill. Voters are supposed to determine if the player was a dominate player of their generation. They don't have to meet some magical statistical number or be one of the best ever. No, they need only be the best of their generation. Well, in his prime (1977-86) Rice finished in the top 5 of the MVP voting 5 times while winning the award in 1978. To me, Jim Rice is Hall bound, but the only question is when?

Update: This card sold for $6.05.

steal of the year!!

Look at the beauty I just plucked off of ebay for a mere $1.51 (shipping included!!) Is Adrian Gonzalez still in a Texas Rangers jersey? No, but who cares. I'll take an autograph of my current colectee (yes, my spell checker confirmed I just made that word up) any day of the week and twice on Sunday for that price.

wanna trade?

Hey you 3 people that might be reading this. Do you have anything to trade? I collect Adrian Gonzalez autos, Dave Parker autos (Pirates cards only), Devin Mesoraco autos, and 2006 Finest Michael Robinson auto parallels. I currently have the base, refractor, blue refractor, xfractor, green refractor, and green xfractor parallels of the Michael Robinson 2006 Finest. I still need the blue xfractor, black refractor, black xfractor, and golf refractor.

Let me know what you want in return for any of the above. If I don't have it, I will track it down. Thanks!

party like its 1984

Does anyone else remember wanting the 1984 Donruss set? I used to dream about owning a set that was worth $400 according to Beckett at one point in the 1990s. Well nowadays the Don Mattingly RC is the only card that still commands a good price, and complete sets can be had for under $100. This set was loaded with rookies. Here is a nice rookie of Joe Carter from that set. I would be shocked if this card goes for more than $2. With 396 career home runs and 1445 RBIs, Carter is a border line Hall of Famer. Surprisingly, he also stole 231 bases. Joe will always be remembered for hopping around the bases after winning the world series in dramatic fashion.

Update: This card sold for five dimes.

the ageless one

Even with his reputation for being a selfish player, I've always like Rickey Henderson. If you love stats, he is definitely your man. Check out these career numbers: 3081 games played, 2295 runs scored, 3055 hits, 2190 walks, and 1406 stolen bases. Those number are good for 4th, 1st, 21st, 2nd, and 1st respectively. He has played for 9 different franchises with 4 separate stops in Oakland. Rickey is a lock for the Hall, and you can pick up a nice jersey/bat card from his 92 games played for Seattle. Also, note the free shipping!

I think trying to get jersey cards from all of his different teams would be an awesome collection.

Update: This card sold for $7.56.

a knuckle sandwich

Now here is a really cool card. If knucklers are your thing, then this card is for you. It features jerseys of the best knucklers of the current era, Tim Wakefield, and the most famous knuckle-baller of all time, Phil Niekro.

I've been a Wakefield fan since he came up through the Pirates organization. He's been a steady pitcher for the better part of 16 years, but the only way he's getting into the Hall of Fame is with a ticket. Pick up a unique piece of history here.

Update: This card sold for a whopping $1.47.

... with liberty and autographs for all

One thing I love about today's hobby is the vast array of certified autographs available. 15 years ago, finding an autograph a pack was next to impossible. Now, you can find multiple autographs per pack depending on how much cash you're willing to shell out.

Personally, I like finding autos of stars from the '70s and '80s for dirt cheap. While I wouldn't call $12 dirt cheap, this is the only one of its kind currently on ebay. 2nd all time in saves and an eventual Hall of Famer, Lee Smith was the dominant closer of the '80s and early '90s. I've spent $12 on much worse things in my life.

Update: This card did not receive any bids at its $12 opening price.

2 busts 1 card

In 1999, there was no one more electric with a football in his hands than Peter Warrick. It seemed as though Saturday night Sports Center with filled with mind blowing play after mind blowing play. He was a threat to score each and every time he touched the ball. He was Reggie Bush before there was Reggie Bush.

During that same year, there was a pair a defensive teammates striking fear in the heart of Big Ten QBs. Courtney Brown and Lavar Arrington of Penn State were a defensive tandem that the likes of which have not been seen since. Brown racked up 33 sacks and 70 tackles for loss in his career. The Cleveland Browns made Brown the first pick of the 2000 NFL draft.


Here is a card featuring jerseys of the best offensive and defensive players in all of college football in 1999. Both turned out to be busts in the NFL, but that doesn't change what they accomplished in college.

I can't imagine someone else bidding on it, and the buyer will probably have a 0.99 steal.

Update: this card went for $0.99.