Blog Bat Around: Pick 5

This month's Blog Bat Around topic comes courtesy of It's Like Having My Own Card Shop, and sense of general malaise effecting many-a-card-blogger these days.  So the question is, if I can only keep five specific card collections, what would they be?

The first four were actually fairly easy for me, because I've thought seriously about downsizing frequently in recent years.  Five was a tricky one though, and I am admittedly cheating all over the list.  My sketch card collection is made of numerous specific sub-collections therein, I could convert small parts of certain collections that don't make the list to fit the second pick, and picks three and five are multiple, related collections under a single banner.  But eh, it's my list.  So let's get on with it then.

Supergirl by JC Fabul..

1.) Sketch Cards- Probably the one and only virtually untouchable collection I own.  The 12 or 13 keepers amongst 15 I currently have waiting to be bailed out of COMC lockdown might put me over the 400 mark.  This is my one true (and truly expensive, even though I rarely break the bank for any one sketch) cardboard addiction.  I'm an artist, I love (primarily comic) original art, and I don't have enough space or money to own nearly as much as I'd like.  So sketch cards are basically the most perfect possible thing for me.  I think I found out about them in 2007 or 2008 and I almost instantly fell in love.  If I had to drop all but one collection, this is what I'd keep.  No question.

Pop Century Kristen Renton/Emilio Rivera dual auto..

2.) Random Non-Sport/Other Sport Autographs- I think maybe it's just the thrill of the hunt with these.  You can get some pretty decent names for surprisingly little coin sometimes, and every new score tickles the back of my brain.  It's just pure fun, untamed, lead with your Id collecting.  No real plan.  Just see a cool addition for a good price and buy it.  I quite like that.

Eve Torres gold parallel #'ed /10..

3.) Main Wresting PCs (Booker T, Eve Torres, Sarita/"Dark Angel" Sarah Stock)- As one of my earliest loves, not collecting more wrestling cards will likely go down as one of my great collecting regrets.  These are the only collections I've been able to put considerable time and effort into, and I have no desire to give them up.  Dakota Kai may be on this list someday as well (I saw a whole mess of signed stickers on her Instagram story the other day, and I am PSYCHED), but yeah.

Vault Metals #'ed /135..

4.) Fergie Jenkins PC- I wouldn't necessarily say this is my most favorite major sports collection, but it's the one where I feel like I have something to prove.  To own a copy of every card released of Fergie during his playing career is one of my only real completionist collection goals, and I can't part with it.  At least not until I've succeeded.  Plus, he has a ton of fun modern stuff like the gorgeous Vault Metals above (and his autos are often very affordable) to chase to distract from the relative monotony of hunting for vintage & oddballs & such.

She-Hulk PMG #'ed /100..

5.) Comic Card PCs (She-Hulk and Rogue)- This was the tough one.  Nothing else was quite jumping out at me like the first four.  I thought just maybe higher end Marvel in general, but that's too loose and a tad difficult to define.  But there's a good sized crossover between my She-Hulk (non-sketch) collection and higher end products.  I have the above Precious Metal Gem from 2015 Fleer Retro Marvel and a few other items from higher end sets.  As for Rogue, it's just a weird nostalgia thing.  A lot of my stuff of her is from the '90s, and I've always regretted never being able to afford all those sweet early & mid-'90s comic packs they had at the grocery store back in the day.

So there you have it.  The, err... five-ish collections I'd keep if I had to dramatically shrink my collection.  Thanks for stopping by!  Seeya again whenever I get around to editing scans.

Until our next...

Blog Bat Around- All-Autograph Team

Time for another fun new installment of the Blog Bat Around.  This time it's the all-autograph team, as originated by ol' Zippy Zappy.  I wanted to do a full 25 man roster, but the lack of pitchers in my collection & available scans of a couple of the bench bats I do have means I'll have to cut it a little short.  With that said, here we go.

C- Kyle Schwarber

2015 Contenders..

This is a most unfortunate choice, but I don't have any other viable options here.  I think Robinson Chirinos might literally be the only catcher autograph I own, and while he is a good defender with underrated pop, he is still a career backup.  So, Schwarbs it is...

1B- Jose Abreu

2017 Donruss Blue /149..

I have at least a solid half-dozen (Rizzo, Delgado, Grace, Abreu, Thames, & Derrek Lee) good options at first, but Abreu gets the nod because he's the one that I could find a scan of.  This whole post might look very different if I was a more diligent scanner who hadn't lost multiple computers before I could take the important stuff off them.  Anyway, you'll be seeing the other guy who was scanned as my DH choice on down the post.

2B- Robinson Cano

Stadium Club Lone Star Signatures /10..

I picked up an autographed Ryne Sandberg photo for $10 (it was from some signing at a riverboat casino in the early aughts iirc, and the place had a whole stack of them) at our short-lived and awesomely-named (Heroes Never Die) card shop back during the six months it existed, but I don't appear to have a scan of it on-hand anymore, and honestly, Cano has surpassed him at this point, so Robbie gets the nod.

SS- Corey Seager

2016 Diamond Kings Sketches & Swatches auto/patch /10..

Another position I'm sorely lacking in, but fortunately I have this one epic, discount blaster-pulled monster of a young superstar to fall back on (at least until Gavin blows me away with an offer).  I think my only other option at short is Nick Gordon, who is still in the minors in the Twins organization.

3B- Aramis Ramirez

2013 Prizm..

This card is almost certainly fugliest Aramis Ramirez auto I own in a walk, but it was the one that was scanned.  He's easily my strongest option at 3B regardless, being a borderline Hall of Famer & all.  Yangervis Solarte, Josh Harrison, and Javy Baez would be my other options here, but I don't have Solarte or Baez scans handy, and they're all better suited as Utility infielder options anyway, which is where you will find Harrison if you keep reading.

LF- Yoenis Cespedes

2014 National Treasures /25..

I have no shortage of corner outfield depth, particularly in left field.  Billy Williams, Alfonso Soriano, and Yoenis Cespedes (and Albert Belle, who, to continue the theme, was scanned but said scan is no longer available) are all mashers, but I'm going with Cespedes, because he's the best defender of the bunch.

CF- Andruw Jones

2001 Fleer Platinum '97 Circa Rack Pack Buyback Autograph /200..

Andruw Jones was another easy choice, due to lack of depth (an Austin Jackson that isn't in my possession yet or playing George Springer or Jason Heyward out of position in center were my only other options here).  You can't go wrong with one of the greatest defensive centerfielders of all-time, and this new arrival is a fantastic centerpiece for his Single Page Sensation collection.

RF- George Springer

2015 High Tek Tidal Diffractor /99..

We're going with Springer in right field, which has been his primary position in the majors, which he defends brilliantly.  I would probably have gone with Frank Robinson here if I still had the scans, but I'm quite content with this pick.  I got this for under $7 juuuust before he started to blew up last year.

DH- Carlos Delgado

High Tek Gold Diffractor /50..

As mentioned above, my only other scanned powerhouse first baseman has to be my DH, and that man is Carlos Delgado.

UT1- Ben Zobrist

Tract... Card?!

The card itself is far weirder than the choice to put him on my team.  Having a super utility player is a fantastic luxury, and Zobrist is the best in the business.  As for the card, COMC called something to the effect of a "Personal Issue Tract God", and that's exactly what it is.  There's a huge wall of religious nonsense on the back, along with a JSA authentication sticker (it also came with a separate COA).  Weird but cool, I guess.  And more importantly, cheap.  I was never much of a fan of organized religion, and I don't know how anyone could be these days with the way conservatives have completely perverted Christianity into a religion of hatred and discrimination.  But I digress...

UT2- Josh Harrison

2015 Topps Supreme..

Josh Harrison is a solid, versatile all-around player. I'd still put Javy here and save either Josh or Yangervis (maybe both) for the end of my bench, but again, no scans... *le sigh*

SP 1- Fergie Jenkins

2013 Topps Supreme /50..

I doubt Fergie Jenkins being the ace of my staff will come as a surprise to anyone.  I have somehow managed to accumulate double digit autographs of him, and that completely blows my mind.

SP 2- Chris Sale

2014 Topps Supreme eBay 1/1..

It's always nice when you can field two legitimate aces.  Sales autos have finally gone up & out of my range in the past couple years, but I think I scored this collection centerpiece for a cool $7.

SP 3- Taijuan Walker

2013 Leaf Memories..

Taijaun seemed to finally be putting it all together in the desert, but he's probably out until the second half of 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May.  So as I rebuild my photo album & reinsert them into posts in late-August, I hunted up another inconsistent, injury-prone young starter with all-world potential to add to the post.

SP 4- Carlos Rodon

Boom!

Unfortunately, while I can field a full staff and a competent swingman, I still have to cut it off here and jump straight to the end of the bullpen, because both Jerry Koosman and my swingman Matt Shoemaker are lacking a scan, RA Dickey isn't even in my possession yet, and I just don't really have anyone else to fill out my relief corps.

RP 1- Wade Davis

2017 Topps Fire /250..

Davis was only with the Cubs for one season, but he left a great enough impression on me to gleefully grab this foily Fire auto when it dropped to under $5.

RP 2- Bruce Sutter

Topps Retired..

The back end of my bullpen is on lock with Sutter, Davis, & if I had the scan handy, Lee Smith (shame, since it's a somewhat interesting card and I actually it pulled myself).  I'm not even naming a closer amongst those three.  I'm fully confident with any of them, and Sutter & Smith being from a bygone era, can both regularly go multiple innings if need be.  Maybe I don't even need any middle relief!

And that be that.  I think it's a pretty darn good squad, outside of my utterly atrocious catching situation (and literally not being able to field any middle relievers *cough*).  Anyway, thanks, as always, for stopping by!

Until our next...

Blog Bat Around- What I Collect

I am a walking disaster.  I don't particularly want to be, but I don't seem to have much say in the matter.  I rarely wake up with more than maybe 50% of an average person's energy levels (usually more like 30%), and usually little-to-no ability to focus that extremely limited energy on things that actually need to be done.  When combined with all the other numerous mental health issues I deal with on any given day, things often fire off in strange and unusual ways.  The most mundane things can turn into a ridiculous adventure with me.

What does my damage have to do with my collection, you may be wondering?  The answer is everything.  The way I collect is directly tied into how wildly unstable my mental health and energy levels and total inability stay on target or handle structure in any meaningful way.  My least structured collections are the ones I enjoy and indulge in the most, even though I would likely would have finished many of the more structured ones by now if I were able to concentrate the bulk of my energy on them.  But anyway, with all that tediously said, these are the things I collect.

 SKETCH CARDS

Yes, sketch cards are pretty much my favorite thing in the world.  I want to own them all!  Somehow, even with my horrible budget restrictions and the wide net my collection casts, I've still managed to to accumulate somewhere around 300 keepers over the years, and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.  It's just pure fun, even with the growing amount of structure I continue to impose on this collection.  They also look absolutely phenomenal in a binder.  That doesn't hurt.

Nico Minoru (Runaways) by Stefanie Battalene..

My primary collections are Raven & Starfire from DC Comics and She-Hulk & Rogue from Marvel, but there are many other specific things I'm interested in (several other comic characters, video game, cartoon, & anime PSCs, sports, Star Wars, a page from specific sets, etc...), and like I said, I am open to just about anything if I like it enough.

Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) sketch card drawn by yours truly..

I also make art myself and am open to commissions or trades (art trades or for cards in general), but as noted above, energy, focus, and (in this case) confidence are often problems, so it may take a long time for me to get anything done.  I have dozens and dozens of finished sketch cards of available if you want something from me but don't wanna wait on a commission though.

Lara Croft 9x12" pinup..

I'm known to pick up larger pieces of original art on occasion when I can find them cheap enough during lulls in the never-ending hunt for more sketch cards.  There are some absurdly good deals on truly fantastic art by criminally underappreciated talents out there on the interwebs, due to the gross inequality and general lack of appreciation of art and/or artists that afflict our world.  The above Lara Croft pinup was one of a half-dozen wonderful works of art I picked up from a single seller that combined to average out to around $7.50 apiece.

And one more sketch card, just because..

MISCELLANEOUS NON-SPORT/OTHER SPORT HITS

2000 Press Pass Rage Tara Dakides Graffiti Autograph..

I considered this to be primarily a non-sport collection until fairly recently.  The Olympic stuff & Goodwin Champions hits have really started to pile up in recent months though, so I figured I'd just lump it together here, for simplicity's sake.

Never watched Idol, but I had a Jtv/Twitter friend who knew her, so...

I don't really go in with a plan with this collection, even less so than with the sketches, where I do have some specific character wants.  Here it's mostly just a matter of finding someone I like, or at least recognize, and if I the price is right, I'll pick it up.  Heck, if it's cheap enough (or if they're pretty enough), I don't necessarily even need to recognize them.

Blue is the best color parallel. Don't @ me..

SINGLE PAGE SENSATIONS

The start of one of my newest player pages..

Exactly what it says on the tin. Nine cards.  One page.  For anyone I like enough to want to collect, but not enough to want to bother with a full PC.  They might also just be too expensive, lacking enough cardboard, or some combination (or all) of the above.

Quite possibly the single greatest photo variation of all-time..

Collecting like this allows me to collect more of the players I like and allows me to bling those collections out a bit more than would be possible with full collections.  I feel it's the best possible quality over quantity solution, though I admit, the sheer volume of stuff I collect does noticeably dilute things (moreso in speed than overall quality, but the quality probably does take a small hit).  I also do this with sets I like a lot too, because I don't have the focus (or space) to be a set collector.

My page of random non-baseball A&G autos is coming along nicely

I think I have *at least* 55-60 baseball Single Page Sensations, not even counting my Cubbies (which is probably another 20 or more), and the number seems to go up by a few more every season, over 30 basketball (there are no additional full collections or teams to worry about though), and 25-ish football, with at least a dozen more Bears on top of that, and a handful of current and former Blackhawks from their dynasty of the past decade.

Gold refractor /50..

There are also a few soccer players, several wrestlers, MMA ladies, Star Wars & comic characters (mostly the same ones I have dedicated sketch card collections of).

One of the MMA ladies I collect, even though I barely watch it..

FULL COLLECTIONS

An amazing custom from a couple Christmases ago by mah boi Gavin..

Now onto the full collections, of which there are few enough I can probably just list off.  These are the most tedious collections, even with soft capping them off at 100 ala mah boi Gavin.  I should have probably completed at least half of them by now.  I just can't maintain my focus on them very well because they are big and unwieldy.  I'm terribad about trying to make them as blingy as Single Page Sensations when that isn't really their purpose as well.

Bling..

Anyway, here are the full PCs.  I prefer to fill the sports ones via trades because that's the easiest way for me to do it without getting all hung up on things to the point where I mostly just ignore them.

A photo from the archives..

Cubs: Javier Baez (maybe), Ernie Banks, Kris Bryant, Starlin Castro, Andre Dawson, Kosuke Fukudome, Fergie Jenkins, Aramis Ramirez, Anthony Rizzo, Ryne Sandberg, Kyle Schwarber (maybe), Sammy Sosa, & Billy Williams.  I guess Yu Darvish belongs on this list instead of the non-Cubs list now too.

The rare mid-tier insert from recent years that has retained its value..

Other Baseball: Jose Abreu, Robinson Cano, Nomar Garciaparra, Vladimir Guerrero, Frank Robinson, Ichiro Suzuki, & Frank Thomas.

My only Matt Forte autograph..

Bears: Matt Forte, Devin Hester, Alshon Jeffery, Thomas Jones, Kyle Orton, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers.

Star Rubies used to be a hyuuuge deal..

Other Football: Jamaal Charles, Warrick Dunn, Randy Moss, & LaDainian Tomlinson.

My latest of my queen..

Pro Graps: AJ Lee, Booker T, Eve Torres, Sarita/"Dark Angel" Sarah Stock.

A higher end base card of the Jade Giantess #'ed /225..

Comic/Star Wars: Rogue, She-Hulk, & Ahsoka Tano.

So many Ahsokas..

OTHER COLLECTIONS

He was great, but wasn't around long enough to get attached..

There are some things I don't have any specific use for, or really actively seek, but I like to hang onto when they find their way to me anyway.  I have binders for some of the nicer miscellaneous Cubs, other baseball, Bears, other football, basketball, hockey, and "girlie" cards, as they've been dubbed (because most card bloggers apparently fund their operations by being of old-timey private detectives and/or radio hosts and/or barkeeps from the first half of the 20th century).  Soccer and non-sport, certain non-hit items featuring dudes are also under varying degrees of consideration.

If they have cardboardy backs, I needs 'em..

I'm also chasing a Buyback Frankenset (+ "inserts" & hits!) that I can turn into a massive repurposed sketch card set.  I don't think I even have more than 20 cards to put towards it right now, so if anyone can help me out with that, I would appreciate it very much.

Pokemon cards have gotten crazy looking since I was a kid..

The last thing I'm after at the present time is one of every Pokemon from the TCG (and maybe a few more key character cards while I'm at it, since I already have a couple in secret rares in Misty & Team Rocket).  This is another one I'm struggling with wanting to be as blinged out as possible, since just about every card has at least a reverse foil parallel these days, so even the common as heck weaklings get the chance to be shiny these days.  I'm a little further along on this goal, but it's already pretty close to the same size as the buyback frankenset, and will only grow hugerer as new generations add more new mons for me to chase.

Epic Misty..

THINGS I'M NO LONGER COLLECTING

Sorry Charly. Also, you have a huge hole in the side of your dress..

There are a couple sizable collections I've built up that I'm no longer interested in pursuing.  Really they are probably mostly being dropped more out of lack of resources than lack of interest.  So with that said, I'm no long chasing anything just because it's NXT-related.  I never got far with this anyway, but it did produce the odd gem here & there.

Not sure if this Cooks RC has actually turned up yet or not..

A far more fruitful, but ultimately doomed pursuit, was my RC collection.  Another great looking binder of randomness, I'm extremely reluctant to drop this one.  There are a few I'll hang onto (Payton, Rice, Trout, maybe a Posey since I accumulated three or four different ones somehow, and maybe some team & player collection RCs), but the vast majority will be available, for sale preferably.  But if you come at me with an offer I can't refuse, I might be willing to trade something from the roughly 350 RCs & prospects (there are some inserts, parallels, & a couple scrub relics in the boxes too) I've dug up so far.

So yeah, that's the whirlwind of madness that is my collection right now.  Thanks for having a look around.  If you wanna do some wheeling & dealing, feel free to drop me a line.

Until our next...