Well, they're almost here....

Since I published the last post from my office, I wasn't able to publish also the new page with all the links to the wantlists, apparently due to some problems with the browser I use...but don't worry I'll post it later today as soon as I get home...

Also, I grabbed my old printer/scanner at my parents' house, so I should be able from now on to scan all the stuff that hasn't passed through COMC processing...especially I will fill in some empty spaces in the 2013 Tribute WBC autos set, because I noticed that many cards are in my collection but not on the blog...

I received yesterday the last two cards I bought for the October pick-up session, both autographs, but one of them needs to be graded in order to assess its authenticity...
The seller guardanteed a refund in case the auto results fake, but I would lose the grading fees anyway, so I hope it will prove to be authentic...It could be one of the centerpieces of my collection and my new showcase display (which is ready to be filled with cardboard items!)

Keep collecting ladies and gentlemen!!

CIAO

Wantlists are finally here!

After a massive effort in the past months, I finally been able to put together a comrehensive set of wantlists...maybe the word wantlist is not appropriate in my case, since the completion of sets (very tough task, if not impossible), should at least require an organized scheme of the priority of the various sets / manufacturers / years... so let's just call them checklists, because wantlists makes me look too greedy...

This will be totally unorganized in terms of priority, so if anyone is interested in set up a trade, feel free to explore the documents you'll find clicking on the links you'll fine in the specific page called "Wantlists"... But also please consider that the cards that I could use as a trade counterpart are almost all base and inserts, so nothing crazy rare... let's say that I could be an alternative to Justcommons, but I'm afraid that shipping fees would be higher due to my oversea residence...

Just a brief instruction on how the files work:

- Those called "Checklist xxxxx base" only show the base sets, meaning the regular flagship set, without all the subsets and inserts. In certain cases (i.e. Topps) they also include the "Rookies and Traded" or "Updates and Highlights" sets. In such files I've marked the owned cards with an "x" beside the card number;
- Base sets checklists have all the years in the same sheet, plus a recap front sheet with a fancy graphic that represents the completion status of every year;
- The files called "Checklist xxx subsets", as the name suggests, include all the sets different from the "base" one; in this case I've marked the cards I own by highlighting them in green.
- Subset checklists are organized by year, every year gets a sheet;
- If a subset isn't listed, it usually means that I have no cards from it;
- I haven't prepared a detail of cards from 2015 simply because I don'y have any from this year, so if you have a bulk of double cards, you know none of them will be a double for me....

I haven't produced a checklist for Pacific, Playoff and Pinnacle (not that I have something against manufacturers whose names start with "P")...but if you plan to send cards from those sets feel free to contact me in advance and I'll check what I have...

Please feel free to copy / download them, and tailor them to your collecting needs; I know how much effort took me to put them together, so I would be happy to know that they're helping also other collectors...

Final october pickups

I swear I'm almost done with the organizational changes, which will lead to a much awaited wanlist section of my blog...

The new showcase is ready (it's been quite a pain to build it, but now I can say it was well worth it), and the last thing to do before the inauguration is finish with the cataloging activities of Upper Deck cards from 2002 - 2004 and 2000 sets and then I will be done with the most tough project since my collecting acitivity started.

I decided to post my very last pickups before I go on with the above activities also to verify what's still lying in my mailbox, and check what will be in the next shipment, that should depart approx. at the beginning of december, in order to guarantee at least a load of cards for Christmas.

As usual, these cards were picked up off ebay for very cheap.

First is a signed card from this year Stadium Club, is from a player of whom I had no autos or relics before, so welcome to Matt Williams! The card is not numbered but still very nice...maybe I opted for a sharper marker for the auto..

 

 

The next card is numbered to 75, and comes from 2010 Topps Finest, and it is also a refractor... it really surprises me reading that there are two cards like this for sale on COMC for 30 dollars, considering that I paid a pretty dollar for mine...which makes it even sweeter...it's the letter "S" patch signed by Drew Stubbs!

 

 

 

The next pair of cards costed me more than the average pickups, but considering we're talking about autographed cards of two Hall Of Famers, I can pay of couple more bucks for them...they come from 2015 Panini Cooperstown Hall of Fame Induction Signatures (a very nice set in my opinion), and feature Goose Gossage and Don Sutton autos, and they are (to my surprise) not numbered...

 

 

 

I almost forgot I have the following card stored...is one of those cards you pick up in order to amortize the shipping fees of ebay, and the processing fees of COMC as well... but it's still a nice card and I'm happy to have it...is from 2014 Topps Museum and features a big chunk of white fabric of Jarrod Parker, plus it's numbered to 50, which is a nice quality...here it is

 

I have a total of 74 cards currently in my mailbox, with two more on their way (two very cool cards purchased off an Instagram user), but that have been delayed due to weather issues...

Considering that all the cards in the mailbox belonging to 2013 Tribute WBC and 2015 Tier One are directly added to the specific checklist pages (feel free to have a look at them), I don't think there's more stuff I can show, that hasn't been already posted...

 

So stay tuned for pics of the showcase and for the wantlists (hopefully) in the coming days and keep collecting!

 

CIAO!

Big organizational changes

As the title suggests, in this post I'm not going to show new cards, but rather talk about a major change that (if work allows) is about to impact the way my collection is stored and displayed...

In the last 10 months, since I moved into the new apartment, my collection was displayed in its entirety and for the first time ever, in a shelf unit with several layers, and wide enough to store two 5000 cards monster boxes side to side.

Here's a pic that shows it in all its magnitude.

The only cards not stored in the above structure, are the autos and relics cards, currently gathered in a wooden box with drawers, that allows me to divide them by type (i.e. autos, relics, patches) (2013 Tribute WBC has two drawers on its own due to the number of variants of every card).
But after all my summer pickups such box is way too small to contain all the autos and relics I have now, so I recently made the following decision...

I will move the shelf unit in the garage, and place a brand new glass showcase, that will allow me to display all (or at least the best) the autographed / graded / relic / iconic rookie cards that currently have no chance to be seen. The showcase has been already purchased, but I won't be able to assemble it before I move the shelf unit in the garage.

I am pretty sad for what I am about to do, but since space is one of the biggest limits a collector has (the other obviously being the money, or the total absence of card shops in your country), I decided for once to opt for quality over quantity, and I'm pretty sure the result won't disappoint me.

In the recent months, I've also started a massive card cataloging effort, that so far allowed me to almost catalog the entire collection. Once this activity will be over I'll start the moving process that will lead to the new showcase...and at the same time will produce a comprehensive and updated set of wantlists that will be uploaded somewhere on the internet to finally allow all the colletors worldwide that desperately ask themselves "what cards does he need to complete his sets?" or "how can I help him out, by sending a giant package of cards?" to figure out how to contribute to my quest for completion.

Since you've been kind enough to read my post until this point, I'm awarding you with a little recent pickup...a 2014 Topps Tribute to the Pastime auto numbered to 99 of Ben Zobrist

 

The ebay auction for this card depicted and described a 2013 Tribute WBC (which I would preferred), but then this card showed up at the mailbox so... 

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog today, remember to keep collecting and CIAO!!

Celebrating the campions!

Last night the Kansas City Royals won the World Series, so congratulations to them and to their fans!

As a humble tribute to their success, I'm posting a couple cards of Royals current and past players... I'm afraid it will be a poor post, because I have very few cards of them, not already showed in previous posts...

First is a card of one of the main contributors to the Royals success this year, with 2 HR, 13 Hits and 6 RBIs in the post season...Alex Gordon!
The card depicts him from back in the day, when he was a third baseman for the Wichita Wranglers...
It's from 2006 Tristar Prospects Plus farm hands autographs, and even though the card is not numbered, I think it is very cool!

 

Another player that has been very important in the Royals postseason is Eric Hosmer, with 14 Hits, 17 RBIs and 1 Home Run...speaking of Eric Hosmer's HR, let's remember his first long ball with the next card...2015 Topps First Home Run Medallions

 

 

 

The next player has the most HR in the post season (4) among the players showed, and also 15 Hits and 8 RBIs, but unfortunately I only have a base card of him to show..is from 2013 Topps Tribute WBC and he is Salvador Perez

The next player played 2 post season games, with a 3.00 ERA, but in the card I'm posting is depicted with a Braves uniform...but he's a champion nevertheless...Kris Medlen!
The card come from 2014 Topps Triple Threads, and is a Unity Autograph Jumbo Relic Sepia numbered to 75

Now, in the section of former Royals players, I have a card with some wood in it...
From 2014 Topps Museum Collection Momentous Materials, and numbered to 50.....
It's a bat card of Billy Butler

 

 

That's all for this post, as well as for this year's World Series...

So once again, Congratulations to the Mighty KC!

 

Keep collecting and CIAO!