The Last Post…and a farewell to a Villain

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 31, 2020

This year has finally come to an end. An unforgiving parallel universe of a year where wrong was right and low was even further lower than we could all imagine. Maybe it was the end of a bad dream, the kind of nightmare where you’re about to crash into a concrete wall, screeching brakes being hammered to the floor, arms off the wheel to cover your eyes, barreling towards the wall and nanoseconds before impact you wake up. Sweating. Shaking. Breathing heavily. Saying to yourself, “what the hell just happened!” The nightmare has ended…for now, but is it really over? What will ’21 bring for us? I would love to see an overcorrection from the wrong to the right and some goodness be brought to everyone. More generosity and kindness. Less judgement and crassness towards others. Can we live our lives in a manner that we want to without condescension? I sure hope so.

I love this hobby, I love it dearly. It brings me great joy. In a world where I have marginal control over things, I can control my collection.

It’s there when I need it to regroup emotionally…I’m a highly anxious person.

It’s there when I’ve had a rough day and need to zone out…I worry too much about others opinions.

It’s there when I need a new organizing project and get an idea in the middle of the night…I got some OCD too.

Our hobby is fantastic. A lot has changed about it this past year.

I hope it keeps evolving.

I hope the people that are new are welcomed with open arms.

I hope the new people take some history lessons and learn about our hobby.

I hope we let people collect what and how they want to collect.

For 2021, I will be more involved in helping to make this hobby great. Reaching out to bloggers, twitter folks, flippers, old-school collectors and the new ones as well. I plan to buy more from my LCS than eBay, but I also plan to sell more on eBay. I want to find a happy middle where I can enjoy the hobby without feeling like I am going to strangle myself financially. Creating a net zero cost of cards is the ultimate goal, not sure how that will get done. The architecture and build portion of the world is attempting to reduce carbon emissions significantly with the 2030 challenge, but this is nothing like that.

I just want to have fun with these pieces of cardboard and card stock and shiny whatever the hell they are materials. I hope you do too!

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With the end of the year usually comes collecting or personal goals. I’m not going to list anything, I think that’s mostly been covered by the manifesto above. So, instead, I’d like to take the time to update the annual wallet card and take a look back.

I started carrying a card in my wallet quite a few years ago. It was a way to always keep the hobby with me wherever I went. Every once in a while the card would be exposed to other people and it would start a conversation, or maybe just some ridicule from some colleagues…architects can be a judgmental group, ya know?

At some point along the way, I’ve lost a few cards…but here’s what I’ve got since I started the blog.

2020: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees 1999 Pacific Paramount, card #162

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2019: Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves 1987 Topps, card #490

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2018: Joe Gibbs, Washington Redskins 1992 Pro Set, card #90

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2017: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees 2014 Gypsy Queen, card #N174-DJ

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2016: Art Monk, Washington Redskins 1985 Topps, card # 185

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2015: Rickey Henderson, New York Yankees 1986 Topps, card #500

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2014: Joe Gibbs, Washington Redskins 1990 Pro Set, card #333

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2013: Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers 1991 Topps Archives, card #1

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AND NOW, FOR TWO-THOUSAND TWENTY ONE! THE NEW WALLET CARD IS (drumroll…)

2021: Santana Moss, Washington Redskins 2006 Topps, card #245

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I know, I know…I can hear the clapping through the keyboard!

***

OK, so when I woke up this morning I was thinking about the best video I could share with you all today. Something fun and positive and light-hearted to ring the new year in. I was getting distracted during the day and everything was getting away from me. When I sat down to start writing I first jumped on twitter to get an update on this mad world we’re living in…and my heart sank when I saw that MF Doom has passed away…shit shit shit shit. He was one of my favorite MC’s…crazy entertaining and a tremendous wordsmith. Lots of double entendre’s and just some good ol’ hip hop metaphors. At this point, I’m not sure what took his life as he was only 49 (4 years older than me). The one thing that can make me smile is that he actually passed away on Halloween of this year. That’s gotta be the most MF Doom thing ever. For the uninitiated, he was wore a ‘gladiator’ mask and was well known for skipping out on shows but still having someone perform for him…the mask helped with that endeavor. Not sure of the reason for keeping his passing quiet for two months, but that’s none of my business really. If you have the time, please take a listen to the video below of his collaboration with the producer Madlib for the quintessential MC and producer hip hop album. It’s a classic.

MADVILLAIN – MADVILLAINY

Also, check out his earlier work with KMD as Zev Love X and music from his other aliases; King Geedorah, King Ghidra, Viktor Vaughn, Metal Fingers, King Dumile and Metal Face. He also did some work with 3rd Bass back in the day…enjoy. Have a Happy New Year, hug your loved one, tell them you love them and stay safe out there.

-Cardboard Hogs!

Well…damn…!!??!?!!?

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 20, 2017

We have a champion in the very first ever Cardboard Hogs contest…and it was a non-contested contest. The Winner…wait for it…GAVIN!! from my current hometown of Portland, Oregon and writer/blogger of the very entertaining Baseball Card Breakdown blog. I don’t believe i have your address, so it you wouldn’t mind passing me an email i’ll get something over to you that i hope you enjoy! Not sure i’m going to make it to the show the weekend…

In case you were wondering, here are the results…along with some other stuff.

DOOR #1 – $20

Rypien Monk Mann

Ok, brief story on this lot. This is the old guy, the new…old guy that had the vintage football. Seemed nice, very chatty…but there was something odd about him. He was a little more pushy than the other guys and was really doing a sell job on me. Normally i don’t like that and tend to wander off when i get that kind of vibe. I should have listened to my gut! When i pulled this lot of cards, i handed him the stack and said my usual “what’s my damage…?” his response was “…make me an offer!” I offered $10 thinking that was more than enough. $2 per card. In fact, i thought it was a little too high…Bill probably has all of these cards in his 7 for $5 boxes. Anyways, he LOL’d out loud and said “…the 24K gold card is $20 by itself!”. That’s the Charles Mann card. He could quite possibly be right, but card shows aren’t about getting top dollar for your cards. It’s about selling cards to collectors at negotiable prices that work for both parties. I was taken back by his counter and shockingly stared at the cards for what seemed like 2 minutes before sheepishly taking out a $20 and handing it to him. Retelling this story and reliving the moment, i’m quite upset with myself. I tend to be a fairly generous person and don’t mind getting the lesser end of the deal if i can make someone happy…but this was just a case of me getting taken advantage of…and it pissed me off…i’m still upset that i let myself accept that offer. I should have given him the cards back and walked off. I will certainly skip his table next time…if he’s there again. I can’t imagine he did much business in finding too many suckers last time.

DOOR #2 – $15

This is just some good ole’ Tom hooking me up. His table was my third stop and more than made up for the previous door…Now, Tom has a habit of overpricing his cards and then giving you a great deal on them. I think he does that so he an engage in conversation with the guys at the show. When he handed me that Jamison Crowder card with a $40 sticker, i was like nah SON! But, he smiled and said, “you know i’ll make a good deal for you.”

DOOR #3 – $25

These are a few gems from Kim. All relics or autos, most with serial numbers…and $5 more than door #1. This is why i enjoy hitting up Kim’s table. He has stuff set aside for me and i get great deals on them.

DOOR #4 – $10

Reed Seastrunk Jeffcoat

So, the last door was from the military vet. This is another guy that over prices his cards with the label, but is more than happy to negotiate a deal quickly and easily. He’s the autograph guy that is more interested in moving things than keeping them. I had offered him $15 for the lot and was scrambling around for a $5 to go with my $10 and he said “…$10 is fine…” That’s how you treat a customer at a mall show i say!!

So there you have it kids. Don’t let people take advantage of you and do not hesitate to negotiate…don’t be a sucker like me!

Today is the first day of spring and my mid year birthday…tomorrow is my son’s…kinda cool that we basically share birthdays. So, in honor of none of that…here’s a video from a TEDx conference in Wisconsin by Michael Ford…very cool connection of Hip Hop and Architecture. Check it out.

Let’s Make a Deal! or not?

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 13, 2017

When i was in elementary school, my grandma would pick me up after class. Sometimes we’d head straight to the house and other times we would make a pit stop for a snack or late lunch. Her favorite spot was the Sonic in Schertz. It was one of those older drive ins, and like they still do today, they would bring the food out to your car…sometimes in roller skates! These were great times, simpler times…easier times.

My grandma was a TV freak and had to watch all of her shows. This was before she had a VCR, so we’d have to get through those burgers, fries and shakes quickly so we could get home to watch Monty Hall and Let’s make a Deal on the tele. Grandma was from England. I loved the show, not so much because of the premise of choosing some random “prize” behind doors 1, 2 or 3, but because of the wacky ass outfits the people wore. Granny enjoyed the show because she liked to go on ‘winning streaks’ of picking the right door…again, simpler times back then. If you are unaware of the show, you should definitely check it out. It’s like a three card molly scam where nobody really walks away a winner…why are they dressed like that!

So, that brings me to some cards…the last show i went to, unplanned, i stopped by a new guys table and chatted him up a bit. He seemed like a nice older guy and kinda reminded me of my grandpops. Had a similar look from what i could cobble together from my cloudy memory…it’s been 25 years since he passed. There was something about the guy that made me want to hang out. I began to sift through his cards and was pleased to see that he had some odd ball cards and a ton of vintage football stuff…mostly 49ers though. Since most of his collection was 49ers, i didn’t get too many cards but was able to pick out a few i needed for my master collection.

DOOR #1

Rypien Monk Mann

Next stop was Tom’s table. Tom was my original go-to guy at the show…it’s been close to 8 years since i first met him. He works at Check out my Cards during the week and does the shows on the weekends. He’s really helped me through the years with filling out some Heritage set needs, plus he’s a great guy to talk to. Here’s what i picked up from his table at the last show.

DOOR #2

Next table for some Redskins cards. My new go-to guy, Kim. Kim is great. He’s always incredibly nice and friendly as well. Plus he always has way too many cards for me to sort through with incredible deals. He tends to deal more with the big hits and pricier cards but always comes through with a great deal. Here’s what i got from Kim.

DOOR #3

Last stop. Last door. The veteran Marine autograph guy. Not too sure about this dude. Seems friendly…maybe not. Has a ton of autographs from people of all walks of life. Chasing famous people for autographs isn’t really my thing, but it’s always cool to see what he has. Sometimes he has a nice new lot of cards that i can sort through…most of the time i end up passing his table without picking anything up, but today i got a few autograph cards. (i know, i know…it’s supposed to be three doors, but just roll with me on this.)

DOOR #4

Reed Seastrunk Jeffcoat

Okay kids. It’s time to play LET’S MAKE A DEAL!!!

Here’s the deal, i’m going to do a bit of a game…or a contest as the kids say. The first person to correctly guess the cost of each lot will win a nice little gift pack of their favorite team from my collection. Closest to the correct answers win, along with some kind of tie breaker i guess.

Here’s a list of possible prices for each lot: $5 | $10 | $15 | $20 | $25 | $30 | $35

I’ll post the winner next Monday, March 20th…the first day of Spring…and my mid year birthday!!

A new Wallet Card

Posted by cardboard hogs on January 1, 2017

As the year comes to a grinding halt, life slows down a bit, but ironically gets busy in other areas. Although i was off work, my schedule was quite packed each day. Luckily, I was able to spend some ample amount of quality time with my boy. He’s been a lot of fun this holiday although he’s incredibly exhausting at times…we’ve had some fun and were able to enjoy some more snow yesterday! I also decided to take a break from posting the past few days so i could focus my attention of the family and just relaxing, it’s not every month you get this much time off from work without feeling guilty. I’ve been a master of sleeping and eating too…way too much sleeping and eating…way too much…

As i logged back in to the blog a couple days ago, i thought it was time to update my banner a bit and update a couple other things with the blog…still working on it, but getting there…and to be honest, i’m in no real rush. Although, i’d like to get my checklists posted so i have something to keep track of when i’m out at a show or some random shop. Today, I initially had high hopes of writing all about the great holiday trip and a few cards i picked up over that time, but the Redskins loss to the stupid Giants and elimination from the playoffs all but zapped my writing energy. So, i decided to keep it short and post the last day of Wallet Card Art Monk and introduce the new Wallet Card for 2017!

2017-art-monk-wc-f

As you can see, Wallet Card Monk took a beating all year. Although he didn’t get out as much as Wallet Card Henderson, he did manage to get out more than the previous versions of wallet cards. If memory serves me correct, this is my 7th year of toting a wallet card around. One thing i like to do with the wallet card is rotate the card every month or so in order to keep the edge damage somewhat consistent…gives it that nice aged treatment and something that i’ve earned through my years of diligent wallet card-ing. I also do what i can to keep the card dry. WC Monk ended up in my back pack during some wet bike rides to work a few days earlier last year, but held up pretty well i’d say. I love the layering of card damage that occurs with each year, you can see it at the bottom of the card image below.

2017-art-monk-b

As per annual retirement of the card, WC Monk will be loaded in to a penny sleeve and top loader for the safest of keeping for years to come. The irony of beating a card to pieces for a year and then treating it like it’s the most valuable card in my possession is always enjoyable…it’s kinda cool to see the liberally used cards treated delicately at the end of their lives. One day, I should post the previous versions side by side just for the fun of it. I should dig those guys up…!!??!?!?

Trying to decide what card to go with this year was much tougher than normal. I was thinking of something outside the box and going with a player that isn’t quite in my personal collection list, like Troy Tulowitzki or Trea Turner. Maybe going with Tim Raines in hopes of him finally getting elected to the HOF or carry Tim Duncan around for a year. I’ve never had a basketball card for a wallet card…I also thought i should go with my favorite card of 2016, the Willie Mays Stadium Club card. If i had a double of that card, i may have run with it, but it was just too nice and thick and shiny to cary in my money clip. Not to mention, i’m kinda limited to what i can pack in that clip before it gets overloaded…i have so much money, you know! I wasn’t really feeling any of those ideas. On a random trip to the card shop on Saturday I stumbled across this guy for a buck.

2017-derek-jeter-wc-f

Pretty, pretty, pretty…Nice little insert for my toting around this year eh? Beautiful shot of Jeet with all the accoutrements that a modern baseball player needs when he’s at the plate. That smile. The pinstripes. The black and white image. Done deal! Here’s Jeters’ backside for those in to that sort of thing. I agree that this is definitely a trading card of quality. Top notch! Can’t wait to beat the crap out of it this year.

2017-derek-jeter-wc-b

Here’s an image of Jeter and Monk side by side. Old and haggard vs. Fresh and New. Give it 12 months and the roles will be shifted a bit.

2017-art-monk-jeter-ff

Jeters’ face represents how i feel about the Yankees coming in to the 2017 season and Monks’ face is a direct representation of how i feel after every Redskins season…for the past 20+ years. Frustration and disdain for another disappointing season…football man, football.

So, now that the decision has been made, Mr. Derek Jeter finds his way in to his new home. Now, with a money clip i tend to keep the card in my front right pocket…so, if you plan to pickpocket me there’s your bit of a head start. This also does a little bit to keep the card straight through the year rather than shaping to the curvature of my bum.

2017-derek-jeter-wc-f-clip

I hope you all had a great holiday, Christmas and New Years, and that your favorite teams win all their games and that the Clemson Tigers finally gets a National Championship after 36 years of waiting.

Fresh of the family visit, i wanted to share a video of the group Winchester Rebels that my brother in law, Barry, was/is in. (He’s the drummer). Whether or not this music is your cup ‘o tea, please give it a listen. It’s a pretty rockin’ tune.

Natitude

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 3, 2015

I love the Yankees. People give me a hard time about it and when they don’t, they are utterly confused…why in the hell would a boy raised in Texas and who has never ever been to New York City be a Yankee fan.

Seriously?

Why?

The Yankees?

The Evil Empire!

Well, I don’t have a great reason why other than when I was a very easily influenced 9 year old boy my favorite player became a Yankee. He was an Athletic, and he became a Yankee. Being a 9 year old confused little child I decided I would follow my player to the team. Now, nearly 30 years later I am still a Yankee fan and love the history of the storied franchise. I’m gonna miss the hell out of Jeet as i do Mo, Posada, Pettitte, Mattingly…etc…Over the past couple of years though, i’ve developed quite an attraction for the Washington Nationals. Here’s my reasoning. As you can tell, i’m a Redskins fan and i do everything I can to listen to Sports Talk radio from DC, and as one would expect they talk DC sports. So, by default the past 6-8 years my affinity towards the Nationals has been building and building. So much so that i am working all angles to get the kid to become a Nats fan. They’re a lovable team, right? Scrappy, hard working. Dealt with tough losses in big games (looking at you Drew Storen…). Built a strong organization from the ground up, albeit from many poor seasons and in turn drafting well with their high picks (hard to miss on Harper and Strasburg though, eh?).

I’m kinda old school in that i love it when players stay with a team their entire career. I know this isn’t always the players fault, but i greatly appreciate it as a fan. I also appreciate an organization that can draft, develop and lock up their talent for years to come. You build a strong foundation with the kids in the minor leagues and infill with veteran leaders and role players as necessary. You don’t chuck millions after millions for guys past their prime. You take a chance on a kid that your program has developed and lock him up. Make it so he doesn’t even want to look at another club. Make him feel like he is a cornerstone to a strong future. Now this is in total contradiction to what the Yankees have historically done…although, you can very easily argue that their last mini dynasty was due in part to the development and infill mentality rather than poach and overpay mindset. So, i guess what i’m beating around the bush about here is that I will always love the Yankees, but i’m kinda diggin’ the Nats right now. I’m sort of a baseball polygamist.

Albeit one American League Team and one National League Team.

I bought baseball cards.

Remember that part where I talked about wanting a player to stay with one team for the duration of his career? Hanley is one of those guys that, well, he’s come full circle. Red Sox, Marlins, Dodger, Red Sox. Initially i was cool with the first Red Sox run because it was so insignificant in his career. In my eyes he was a Marlin. A Florida Marlin, not a freakin’ Miami Marlin. He was a wonderful player on my fantasy baseball team for a couple of seasons and won me a really nice chunk of change one season. I was cool when he became a Dodger. I kinda like the Dodgers. Great history. Iconic Jerseys and who doesn’t love Vin Scully?

Seriously.

Vin Scully!

But now that he’s a Red Sock again. I can’t do it. I can’t collect his cards and feel good about myself, the Yankee fan inside me can’t handle it. So, I’m only collecting him as a Marlin…Florida Marlin.

Now to the Nats portion of the program. Werth and Strasburg with some Game Worn Memorabilia on display below. Other than Mariano Rivera, I don’t typically collect pitchers. Too risky and their careers can be schizophrenic (is that not PC?). I’ve always steered clear of them, but Stras is pretty special I guess. So far he hasn’t lived up to the hype, but the hype was out of control that nobody ever could live up to that hype. He’s still be very solid and hasn’t been overly fragile, maybe sensitive, but not fragile. Now this Werth cat is something else. His hair is amazing. His beard is amazing, but the DUI isn’t really cool. Maybe hit up the Uber app next time for a $900 ride home. #justsayin

Speaking of wonderful pitchers. Jordan Zimmerman. He has become the most important Zimmerman on the team the past couple of years and luckily isn’t related to the crazy Zimmerman in south Florida. No, he’s a pitcher and a pitcher that will be an important piece to a potentially all time dominant starting rotation. I have his autograph on a sticker on a card that has no logos. I can imagine how annoying it would be to write Z I M M E R M A N every time you sign an autograph, but this is a little too much corner cutting for me. Although I do appreciate the left justified approach. Never know how long that squiggly line will need to extend at the end of Z I M M E R M A N.

HEY! I snuck in a Redskin card! But only because it reminded me of Rocket Pops.

This is a very patriotic, summer-y, popsicle-y card that I had to have. This is one of those parallel cards that makes the rainbow collector happy…i’m assuming?

It’s Art Monk and I love Art Monk.

Profile of a Monk

Posted by cardboard hogs on January 21, 2015

Art Monk.

Easily my all time favorite Redskin. Hand’s down, my favorite. I loved his humility and consistency. He is the kind of athlete I would want my kid to be, someone you can be proud of and know that he has a ton of respect for the game and has zero problems in doing the work to be great. There aren’t too many guys like this any more and I don’t think he ever really got enough respect after his career was over. But he is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and when he retired was #1 on the all time catch list. That’s pretty good.

I have a couple copies of this card. One that i’ve had the longest is beaten to crap and actually has a couple of holes in it. I thought of using it for the wallet card challenge but decided against it this year but maybe next year? This card seems to be pretty perfect to my laymen’s eyes but it only yielded an 8. Guess it doesn’t really matter…i’m happy with it being slabbed and protected until i don’t want it to be slabbed anymore…kind of thought of shifting to Beckett graded cards for everything 1980’s and beyond but decided to keep it PSA. Anyone have thoughts on PSA vs. Beckett for grading modern cards? I’ve seen arguments for both sides but modern cards seem to carry greater value and graded with Beckett grading. I wasn’t a huge fan of graded cards for a while but feel that a few in my collection are a nice touch!

Ode to the Glory days…not really.

Posted by cardboard hogs on January 7, 2015

The Redskins suck. I get it. They are a terrible football organization owned by a man who cannot make a good, sound football decision to save his fans lives. Each time they try something that seems like a good idea, it bottoms out and the wheels fall off way too often. One beacon of hope is the hiring of a legitimate, talent finding General Manager (Scot McCloughan) that has been highly involved with two, currently, well run organizations (Seahawks and 49ers…also Packers). They guy is an apparent scout savant. I’ve always wanted to be a savant at something. But my talent is limited and my skill-set has not reached great levels in anything of relevance. I am a pretty decent collector of things and at one time a great organizer of said things…but those days have been altered by life and the responsibilities of being a grown up.

Collecting cards and organizing them is a huge stress relief for me. I can get lost in them at times and love looking at the dated styes of the card design, jerseys and equipment. As i’ve finally gotten around to organizing my Redskin team sets and realized i have a gigantic amount of duplicates, i thought what better way to organize them then to make a Redskins Frankenset! Yes! A Frankenset. I will take all of the duplicates and numerically add them to a new binder filled with ultra pro platinum sheets purchased from my favorite LCS The Sports Room! Wonderful!

I’ve come up with a couple of basic rules:

1. no duplicates of the same set on each page, don’t be fooled by some of the images here, those are just cards behind missing spots in the binder.

2. all time favorites will get their card numbers, i.e. Art Monk get #81 and John Riggins gets #44. this may be tough as it could be difficult for some players…or not?

3. a unique player on each page, so no duplicate sets or players on the same page.

These are fairly generic as of now and i’ve still got quite a few cards to go through before i can add anything to the Frankenset, but it’s a start.

At some point, i will create a spreadsheet and track all of this wonderful stuff.

side note…Rickey went to Buffalo Wild Wings today for lunch but didn’t really want to make an appearance, Rickey doesn’t like wings apparently…

One Dollar and Five Cents Pt. II

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 31, 2013

In continuation with last weeks post from the Cedar Hills Show, here are a few other cards pulled from the nickel and dollar boxes. My back is finally at it’s full strength from being hunched over the boxes, so all is good…just need to work on the neck strain thing and i will be 100%, taking it day to day.

The Redskins in the late 90’s were pretty much a directionless team led by Norv Turner and a carousel of stop gap quarterbacks. The one constant for a couple years was Stephen Davis. A pretty powerful back in his day and a guy that i loved watching run. I’ve been collecting his cards for a while now and love it when i come across a few cards i’ve never seen before. This is around the time when i wasn’t collecting and they came from the nickel box.

When the Redskins drafted Malcolm Kelly, i was really excited about his potential and thought he would be a phenomenal compliment to Moss. Unfortunately for the kid, he had Greg Oden’s knees and never really got on the field. Jimmy Zorn the Zornado loved him though and they kept him around longer than they should have. I don’t think he is playing anymore, which really sucks for him. These types of stories are a dime a dozen for young athletes. I just hope he has his money right and is a productive member of his community. Love the Diamond background on Santana, he owns the game.

Three years ago, this guy was traded to the Redskins and they got worked by their divisional rival Eagles on the deal. The Shanahans thought they were just a QB away and that McNabb was that QB. I guess the best part about McNabb being terrible as a Redskin was that it lead to Rex Grossman being the QB which led to John Beck being on the roster which led to the Redskins having two guys that shouldn’t be starting in the NFL which led to a terrible season, which finally led to RG3 coming to DC. Life as a Redskin fan looks brighter, assuming of course, RG3 doesn’t also have Greg Oden’s knees.

Jason Campbell, i feel terrible for this guy and think he could have had a solid career if he didn’t play for such a terrible organization. He’s with the Browns right now, which is basically the equivelant of bottoming out in the NFL (sorry Browns fans). I still love Campbell and hope he becomes the starter and does great things in Cleveland this year.

Art Monk, one of my all time favorite Redskins and Michael Westbrook, one of my least favorite. I’m going to refrain from talking too much shit about Westbrook as he can easily kick my ass. I do love the short shorts though, nothing weird about that at all. How about that strategically placed photo with football in the upper right…whattajob Topps, you are indeed the finest.

Last up Darrell Green. The man and the Legend along with Rice. Another legend…no Randy Moss though?

One Dollar and Five Cents Pt. I

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 24, 2013

So, with each of the card shows i go to here in Portland, OR, I tend to notice the same dealers at each event. They tend to have the same stuff. There is the vintage guy, the mcfarlane figurine guy, the supplies guy and the guy selling 80’s junk wax. There are also guys that bring loads of stuff in $1 and nickel boxes. These guys are the ones with all the hidden gems, but require so much of your time. Typically i quickly look through a row, maybe two of these boxes but just don’t have the time or motivation to peruse through thousands of cards i have no interest in. This past Saturday though i made a point to stop and look. I had a list of items i was looking for and since the show was closer to my home i could use the extra 30-45 minutes that would have been dedicated to travel and devote them to looking through a million cards.

The great thing about these boxes for me is that i see cards from the period where i didn’t collect and think, ‘when the hell did this come out?’ Plus you always manage to find a few gems in these boxes. The guy at the Portland show that has the best boxes to pick through comes up from Salem which is about an hour away and somehow has tons of new stuff each show. I have no idea how he gets these cards or where he puts them when he gets home, but there are at least 20 boxes that are laid out on his table.

If you have the dedication to go through them you can always find stuff you are looking for and will never walk away disappointed.

My goal with this search was to find some Redskins that are missing from my binders and anything else i thought i could use. Here is a peek at some of the good stuff.

These two guys were well before my time, but research tells me that they were great Redskins and immortal football players that are now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Charley Taylor and Slingin Sammy Baugh (who apparently is from the same area in Texas where RG3 grew up) Full circle.

Ken Houston was a dominant player in his day and played a major role in a few big games with the Dallas Cowboys back in the day. I remember when that rivalry was an actual rivalry. It’s hard to call it that when one team is the doormat of the division, but that is changing now with ‘ol Bobby Three Sticks. Remember the double bar face masks and airbrushed logos on the helmets? We’ve come a long way since 1979.

The thing that’s great about these two cards is that they are pretty similar. These photos are from the era when it was good to be a Redskin fan and when people hated to go against them in RFK. The Hogs, The Diesel, The Fun Bunch…and Joe Theismann with the single bar and both legs fully operational.
The next couple of cards has a special place in my little black heart. 1985 was the very first year I purchased a pack of cards and they were the 1985 Topps Football cards. The landscape cards with black borders. Black border cards are the absolute worst possible design for 9 and 10 year old boys. At one point I had this complete set, but for some reason decided it needed to be beaten to shit and all the corners should be rounded rather than square. Needless to say, i’ve been recollecting them once again, but with the care of a 37 year old man with an addiction to cardboard. I have always loved this set and it it right up there with the 1986 Topps baseball set as one of my all time favorites. It could be due to the fact that these were the first two sets i completed and what got me in to it, or it could be that they are timeless designs…you can never go wrong with black, any architect knows that.

A Redskins Post

Posted by cardboard hogs on February 18, 2013

When I re-started this blog, I wanted it to be a way of tracking my new Redskins cards and display them to the other bloggers out there. I figured it would also be a great way to fill in some of the holes in my collection, while helping others through trades. Another reason was really to show off some of the great card designs. Although the Redskins may not be one of your favorite teams, I think these pieces of cardboard can be appreciated by all sports fans and collectors.

Since the season ended with a big loud thud and the franchise QB laying face down on the dirt in Landover, i haven’t been overly excited about buying new Redskins cards. As with anything, time heals all wounds. So i’m back in the saddle and purchasing new Redskin cards.

Part of my visit to the Sports Room on Friday was to see what new Redskin cards they had for sale. In the past these guys have been great about putting together fantastic team packs for a very affordable price. Through the years, I have managed to pick up the majority of the Redskin sets as there are not too many fans here in Portland – HTTR! With this visit, they had a couple new packs for $3 and $4. That’s a pretty great deal for any collector.

Buying these things is a bit of a gamble since i can only see the front and back card but i did notice multiple thick cards as well as some shiny ones…PLUS, you just cannot beat that $4 sticker!

Each pack turned out to be a great deal for me as i didn’t have most of the cards. They were from higher end sets that i have had to avoid this year due to our new child and the fact that some of these boxes and packs are just too expensive for me right now. I’ve found that this is the best way for me to collect, just wait out all the rush to buy the new stuff and pick up the cards that i collect, rather than buying boxes and getting players i don’t really care about. ALTHOUGH, i still reserve the right to buy boxes…they are still fun to open.

There were a couple serial numbered cards and new pieces to add to my PC. Gotta love it when you can buy cards you need to complete a checklist rather than something to simply put in a box and store away, never to be seen again…

There were quite a few Santana Moss cards that filled the gaps in their respective binder. I loved the Momentum cards this year. Nice cards on thick pieces of card stock and a simple, clean design. I really love the font at the top of the cards too, nice and clean with no serifs.

A very nice serial numbered Art Monk card as well. One of my all time favorites…it took way too long for him to get in to the Hall of Fame by the way.

The topper of the whole visit and the reason why i love stopping at my LCS is this card.

Rick just gave it to me, had it sitting on the shelf waiting for me too, pretty awesome! A nice shiny, die cut serial numbered card of Captain Chaos! Looking a little closer, you see that it’s number 47/47 and Cooley wears 47. The 47 trifecta! Rick tried to convince me that this is a great card because it’s a 1/1! Not really buying it, but thanks for the free Captain Chaos card! As much as i love Cooley, I really hope he retires this offseason and doesn’t play for another team next year. Can’t really see him making the team next year since he only had 1 catch. A great career no less.

That’s it, my latest Redskin haul. All together, there were 36 unique cards in the two team packs and i needed exactly 25 of them. Not a bad deal.