Friday, December 30, 2011

New pickups before the new year.


I picked up 3 much needed Topps #3 cards on Sportlots., recently.  The list is slowly dwindling, though a couple biggies remain. 


My first Scott Sizemore as an A.


Some other Scotties that I somehow didn't have.


Some cards of Hokies that I've been dying to get cards of.

Gotta love Sportlots.


Thursday, December 29, 2011

Winnings from the Card Hobbyist

I was recently one of the winners from The Card Hobbyist's Contest. He sent me this sweet Limas Sweed Jersey:


I remember winning the Heisman with Sweed back in NCAA Football 2005.  Good times, college.  After a great career at Texas, he played a couple seasons with the Steelers.  He never really got in the flow and ended up getting injured, which has essentailly knocked him out of the NFL.

I dig the card, though.  The stripe looks pretty sweet.

Also in the package were two former Hokies:


A sweet Chris Ellis (dude ws a beast at VT) and the Hokie GOAT Bruce Smith (in maybe the strangest pose ever).  

Thanks, Patrick...despite your affinity for Miami Hurricanes, you seem like a nice guy!


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

A graded card that just didn't pan out.

I got this a long time ago in one of those "1 Graded Rookie Card and 3 NFL Packs" deals at Target, I believe. 


This card came to mind when Kevin at the Mojo Beard mentioned weird graded cards.  He showed off a Kevin Jones RC and said is was inexcusable.  But, I guess that goes to show you that there is someone somewhere who would love to have that card.  I would love a PSA 10 Kevin Jones (hint hint nudge nudge).  It would be a nice, unique piece of my Hokie collection.  As for a really funny graded card, see what I sent Kevin recently.  That Puckett is money. 

So, my next question is this: Who in the hell out there wants a Beckett 9 Vince Young Score RC?

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

2011: My Cardboard Mistress' Year in Review

This has been my first full year in the land of the wild blogalopes, and it has been quite a ride.  I really didn't think I would stick with it way back when I got started in the summer of 2010.  But, as many people have noted, the generosity and comaraderie among the bloggers and readers is reason enough to keep posting.  I've been amazed at how my collection has expanded this year, thanks to all of the blogger trades. 

This year was easily my most prolific from a box purchasing standpoint.  I sold some cards to swing three boxes of 2011 Allen and Ginter, including one for Gint-a-Cuffs III. I also used some bonus money to buy 2 boxes of 2008 A&G and 2 boxes of 2008 A Piece of History.  I can't forget the box of 2005 UD All-Star Classics, either, as that was a solid break.  My father-in-law also gave me boxes on holidays, including 2008 Masterpieces, 2009 APOH, and 2 boxes of 2008 APOH.

As with any good "year in review", it's good to look at what we expected for the year.  Going back to my first 2011 post, I had a list of 11 things to expect:

1. Cardmas - I held up my end on this, showing off the cards I got for Christmas.  Hopefully I'll have that opportunity again, this year.
2. Trade bait - eh, didn't really ever show a big list of trade bait, but I still showed off several cards, so it's not a complete failure.  I still have a bunch of cards that no one knows I have that are probably really tradeable.
3. Banner update - I definitely did this one.  My explanation is here.
4. Space Shots pack break - Done, took way too long, but done.
5. Random sports related item posts - Ouch.  Fail.  I have a plethora of items for this, but just never got around to it.
6. Antique tools - I did two of these posts, here and here.  Not as many as I hoped, especially since they were well-received, but it was a start.
7. Tons of random packs - Check.  I even turned 200+ of them into a group break.
8. Contests - One for my Blogobirthday, which was won by The Diamond King. One for July 4th, won by dominicfdny. Then of course, was my massive Bracket Contest.  That thing was an absolute beast, with a few different winners.
9. New want lists - I've done pretty well at this, actually.
10*. Eating better, exercising, saving money - and all that other crap I fail to do every year. - Of all things on the list, I figured this was the most likely to fail.  For the better part of the year, I did fail miserably.  The money thing was more of circumstance than frivolity, as we had a few unfortunate events compound to blow up the bills.  Overall, we did cut back spending-wise.  As far as eating better and excercising, I did neither until October, when I reached my highest weight in my life.  However, I started P90X (more on this in the new year) and have made incredible strides in my health and fitness.  This was probably my biggest success on this list, and easily the one I'm most proud of.
11. Listening to the audience - I listened, I guess. 

I'll give myself a 9 out of 11, good for 82%, or a B-.  I'll take it.  I'm no Night Owl, and I have to accept that.

As for collection additions, I've boosted every aspect of my personal collections, from VT Hokie autos to Topps #3's.  I finally added my first Michael Cuddyer auto, and boy is it a beaut. 

Also in my list of firsts: participating in a group break.  I tested the waters with BA Benny's epic group break, then sucked in Daily Dimwits break,  then killed it in his next break, then failed in Thorzul's baseball break, then killed it again in his football break.

I then had the bright idea to host a group break.  2500+ cards later, I think I'll hold off for a while.  Don't get me wrong, I had a blast, and a lot of people got a lot of cards, but it was a lot of work.

One of my goals for this blog is to be a presence in the hobby blogging world and to contribute something to the card collecting world.  In 2010, my biggest contribution was this:


It is the illustrative embodiment of a collecting mentality.  I knew that when I entered the blogosphere, I needed something earth-shattering to kickstart my blog.  My Shepard Fairey-esque rendering of Jefferson Burdick ended up being just that.  Within a day of posting, it was featured on Cardboard Junkie and Stale Gum.  Those are two of the heavy hitters, so that was just the exposure I needed.   The picture has become my alias, synonymous with "Spankee" and "My Cardboard Mistress".

This year, I didn't really have one innovation that stood out. This year, my contributions were a little more subtle.  The first was the Gint-A-Cuffs banner.  I had a little fun with it, and fortunately it turned out well.  The second contribution is the drunken box break.  Not my proudest moment, but it's the thought that counts. The third is the BoxBreaker spreadsheet. It had its bugs and wasn't widely used, but I have since refined it, as well as created programs to where I can easily create them for other products.  I also plan to integrate Gint-A-Cuffs scoring before next year.

All of this leads me to my most important contribution: The Liquorfractor. Never underestimate the reader.  I made one small mention that the cognac parallels should be called liquorfractors.  The response was amazing.  For the second straight year, Dayf was key in helping me get my contribution out there.  That's why he is one of the best.  Of course, the best interpretation was by Punk Rock Paint.  Two of my four contributions involve liquor.  That's a win in my book.

The highlight of the year for me, though, was pulling the Joe DiMaggio Yankee Stadium Legacy Jersey Relic.  It was an awesome card that unfortunately I had to sell.  It wasn't all sad, though.  I used the money from selling it to buy a faucet for my bathroom renovation, the P90X DVD set, and a complete set of 2006 Allen & Ginter, among other things. 

All in all it was a great year with My Cardboard Mistress. Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible.  I'll try not to post too much unreadable crap in 2012.

Monday, December 26, 2011

A Christmas Vick...

Yeah, I know, mentioning Michael Vick around Christmas is a little iffy, but trust me, it fits.  My wife and I were at my parents' house helping them decorate the tree when a familiar box was pulled out.  It was the box for my Michael Vick Hallmark Ornament, from the Falcons years.  The box was empty because I had taken the ornament to college.  After the dogfighting trial, I jokingly tied a noose around it and hung it from the fridge.  Yeah, I know...you can't mention a noose because Vick is black and it would be a surefire way to be labeled a racist.  It was more a creation of idle minds in college as my roommate was trying to learn how to tie a noose, and finally learned right around the time I brought the ornament from home.  Anyway, the story has a happy ending: at some point, the ornament was knocked off the fridge and the leg broke off. 

Don't you love how you can't mention a noose with Vick since he is black, but you can mention breaking his leg because he killed dogs!  But, I'll keep the social commentary to a minimum.  After all, I am a fan of Vick's comeback. I'll briefly describe my mentality with this tidbit: You have to take the bad with the good, and don't ever be afraid to laugh.



Back to the ornament.  When I saw the ornament box, it kind of made me sad that I don't have the ornament anymore.  In a fortunate turn of events, there was a card in the box:


It's a hair smaller than 2.5"x3.5",  but it's close enough.  I've added it to my VT binder.

Speaking of laughs, how hilarious is this eBay listing

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!!!

Hopefully your day is full of green and red.



Somehow, I haven't been able to get the /75 versions for reasonable prices, despite getting the /50s for cheap.  Weird.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Early Christmas presents: the final trade post of 2011

Gotta acknowledge the trade cards I've received in the past couple of days before the hustle and bustle of Christmas celebrations and New Year's parties.

First, Derek of Tomahawk Chopping sent me a couple cards as a thank you for the group break:

Macho Harris is a stud. I got so little GQ this year, that I'm really happy to get that BJ (teeheehee)


Next up, Rhubarb Runner sent me a bunch of Colorado Rockies.    


Wait...what? Ok, so Michael Cuddyer was a Twin for all of these cards, but he's a Rockie now.




I went through the process of figuring out that Cuddyer just signed his 2004 Topps card for a fan before coming across this post.  Oh well. 


 Lastly, some cards of the smaller persuasion.  What an awesome package.

The last trade package came in a Christmas card from Colbey of Cardboard Collections (hooray for alliteration). Inside were these:


And there was one card that I absolutely love:


Just look at the Die Cut edge.  That is fan-freakin-tastic.  I showed this card to my wife (which usually doesn't get the reaction I hope for) and she said, "oh, is that supposed to be like his career going up in flames?"  Oh well. 


Thanks, Derek, David, and Colbey!

Cardmas Carols Riddle #10

How this works: The image shown represents a cardmas carol. A cardmas carol shares the name of a christmas carol, but may be slightly modified.

For example: If I show a card that has David Ortiz kissing Santa Claus, the answer would be "I Saw Papi Kissing Santa Claus". If I show two cards of Jay Bell and George Bell, and they are both silver, the answer would be "Silver Bells". Get it, got it, good.

This is the last one.  Play at the Plate, feel free to jack this image for your blog.  It turned out better than I thought it would.

Friday, December 23, 2011

On the Twelfth Day of Cardmas, My Mistress Gave To Me...

12 WTF Packs,

11 Circus Circles,
10 Filthy Falcons,
9 Football Flurries,
8 Diamond Doubles,
7 Tebows Tebowing,
6 Drafty Crabtrees,
5 Colored Rings,
4 Hopping Hoopsters,
3 Boring Bowmans,
2 Chromey Footballs,
And A Value Pack of Topps Chrome.


Why not finish strong with a bunch of random crap. 

Topps X Files Season 2, The Mask, 2009 Donruss Americana, 1990 UD Looney Tunes (x2), 1990 Action Packed All Madden Team, 1991 All World CFL (x3), 2010 UD Soccer (x3).



Never watched The X-Files.  These cards don't make me regret that decision.


Jim Carrey in the Mask: fantastic.  These cards: no fantastic.  They somewhat have the feel of photos taken with a late '80s camera by your uncle at Christmas.


I got excited at first, because I thought the guy in the middle of the top row was Hootie.  It was not.
 
 
I understood these when I was a kid.  I terribly confused, now.
 

These cards are so weird.  They aren't just one square piece of cardboard.  They're like rounded-edge cardboard folded on top of itself.   At least Aikman was good.
 

These are a prime example of facial expressions gone right and wrong.  The first is a great action shot of goalie concentration.  I love it.  The second is of a guy who appears to be having a "happy moment" down below.  I'm glad this is a horizontal card.  
 

  Ah, the super draft.  It's like a draft, only super, and with scarves.
 
...and the only redeeming quality of these cards: women.  Marta was the FIFA POY 2006-2010.  That's insane. 
 

Hey, Warren Moon, I know that name.  I'm guessing Reggie Barnes didn't make the NFL because his helmet was too small. The real draw of this set is Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.  They went nuts for this guy.


  Well, after that Casey Kotchman relic on the 11th Day of Christmas, I told you it was going downhill.  I think we have reached the bottom.  But hey, at least it's almost Christmas!


Cardmas Carols Riddle #9

How this works: The image shown represents a cardmas carol. A cardmas carol shares the name of a christmas carol, but may be slightly modified.

For example: If I show a card that has David Ortiz kissing Santa Claus, the answer would be "I Saw Papi Kissing Santa Claus". If I show two cards of Jay Bell and George Bell, and they are both silver, the answer would be "Silver Bells". Get it, got it, good.


Thursday, December 22, 2011

On the Eleventh Day of Cardmas, My Mistress Gave To Me...

11 Circus Circles,

10 Filthy Falcons,
9 Football Flurries,
8 Diamond Doubles,
7 Tebows Tebowing,
6 Drafty Crabtrees,
5 Colored Rings,
4 Hopping Hoopsters,
3 Boring Bowmans,
2 Chromey Footballs,
And A Value Pack of Topps Chrome.


I happened upon a blaster of 2008 Topps Series 2 at K-Mart.  As a matter of fact, I happen upon several.  They were all of the 5 packs plus some bonus rookie card pack variety.  They were originally $10, but marked down to $5.99.  I noticed that one looked different.  It was actually a full-fledged $20 blaster with 10 packs and a relic.  A trip to the scanny thing revealed that it was in fact, also marked $5.99.  Score one for the home team.  Unlike the Bowman football on the 10th day of Cardmas, I'm including the relic in the pack count, bringing it to 11.

As for the Circus Circles part, you'll need to see here. Night Owl has spoken, and so it shall be.


Yeah, that's right.  The only base cards I scanned were managers.  I'm a rebel.
Before ToppsTown was an annoying insert that counted against the cards-per-pack, it was simply a filler card.  However, Topps put premier technology into these.  You see, they expired February 1, 2009, and apparently Topps printed them with time-sensitive disappearing ink.


Creative. 

Wow, Russ Martin, Mickey Mantle, and some Presidents.  Yep, this is definitely a 2000s Topps product.


That's a sweet looking David Wright, but I already had a couple of them.  Anyone notice how Carl Crawford cards were fun to pull until he went to the Red Sox.  Now it's just sad.

And the big hit of the blaster...




wait for it...




it's coming...







WHOMP whomp.  Sorry.  Everyone that gets a huge hit makes you wait for it with a ton of ellipses (for you dumb people, those would be three-dots-es).  I figured I would do it for a very underwhelming hit.  Any Casey Kotchman collectors out there?  Anyone? Bueller? (tell me that isn't one of the most over used blog phrases.  The "Question? Anyone? Bueller?" format is a goto phrasing, kinda like when players that f*** s*** up say, "it is what it is". ) 

Casey Kotchman on the 11 Day of Cardmas? Man, this thing is going downhill in a hurry.

Cardmas Carols Riddle #8

How this works: The image shown represents a cardmas carol. A cardmas carol shares the name of a christmas carol, but may be slightly modified.

For example: If I show a card that has David Ortiz kissing Santa Claus, the answer would be "I Saw Papi Kissing Santa Claus". If I show two cards of Jay Bell and George Bell, and they are both silver, the answer would be "Silver Bells". Get it, got it, good.


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

On the Tenth Day of Cardmas, My Mistress Gave To Me...

10 Filthy Falcons,

9 Football Flurries,
8 Diamond Doubles,
7 Tebows Tebowing,
6 Drafty Crabtrees,
5 Colored Rings,
4 Hopping Hoopsters,
3 Boring Bowmans,
2 Chromey Footballs,
And A Value Pack of Topps Chrome.


It pains me to post Matt Ryan.  Matt Ryan is the first non-UVA player on my list of hated football players (behind every player to ever play at UVA, of course).  Why do I hate him so bad? I was in the freezing rain when he scored 2 touchdowns in 2 minutes to come from behind against VT.  He then went to to Falcons, who I had just abandoned after the Vick mess and the subsequent releasing of Alge Crumpler, Warrick Dunn, and DeAngelo Hall.  Even more, he is incredibly likeable and talented.  Yuck. 

Oh well.  These 10 packs (3 retail, 7 blaster) of Bowman should be good to me since 2008 was a good year for VT rookies.

The base veterans are red.
The base RCs are blue.  The Mendenhall is a decent RC.
Jordy Nelson is a beast, but apparently he is underestimated because he is white. Reggie Corner should be the name of every cornerback in the league.
The base coach cards are green. Dude just got canned.
Gold cards are thicker, which makes me happy when scanning.  The press together perfectly.
Chrome cards do not press together well.  They curl and shift and suck.

2008 Bowman Blue Jaymar Johnson #500/500 eBay 1/1 Last one made Vikings Cardinals
...at least that's how it would be listed on eBay these days.  Gotta admit, the 500/500 numbering looks pretty sweet.  That's my first last-of-the-print-run card.
The blaster also had a rookie relic card.  I was hoping for Eddie Royal, but it was not to be:

Devin Thomas, currently on the Giants, has 1 reception this year.
Hooray, no Matt Ryans!!! ....and, I got some Hokies: