Well, hello there…

Posted by cardboard hogs on March 7, 2017

Yeah, it’s been a while.

I’ve been on a bit of a blog hiatus.

Various reasons really. Work overload, tired, old, rainy cold days…and really feeling like my hobby was getting in the way of my amazing family. I was putting cards before my awesome little boy and my amazingly beautiful wife. It’s all about balance, which i’ve mentioned multiple times here. I think it’s really important…you know? The blog is fun and the hobby and collecting are also fun…but family first. The past few weeks, we’ve been able to see the snow at Mt. Hood and the ocean along the Oregon coast. It’s pretty amazing living in the Pacific Northwest…and i don’t want my hobby to get in the way of that.

That said, i do love doing this collecting things and writing about cards. It’s a great way to share my hobby with others…and really, connect with others…just like you!. With the multiple ways of connecting with other collectors, it’s not hard to find trade partners. Now, to be honest, i’ve made a few trades in the past that i’ve felt were not equal in return, so i’ve tried to steer clear of making trades with people i’m not too familiar with. Until one day…Shane from Off the Wall reached out to me regarding a couple Silver Pack cards i pulled…they were Red Sox, so i knew i wouldn’t be too upset to part with them…:) i kid Shane!!! He was nice enough to post a recap of the trade from his end HERE. So, after a very long delay…here is my post!

Shane and i went back and forth on twitter to work through some items i was looking for…i’m a difficult trade partner, because i don’t keep up with my checklist that well. Luckily though, Shane had quite a few cards to help out with my 1960’s set needs. The biggest chunk of cards was the 1969 set needs. Here are a few of the really nice lot of cards.

Next up, was a few cards to fill my 1963, 1966 and 1967 set needs. The way Billy looks at Hal, you would think they hate each other…but they don’t. There baseball cards…i think the whiskey is kicking in now…

The third lot of vintage Topps card needs is the currently popular 1968 Topps burlap set. Go get your Heritage needs filled kids!

Shane also helped out with my 2009 and 2010 Heritage needs…he made a huge dent in my lists, check it out.

It was so great to cross off most of these guys from my list…not to mention a bunch of these guys are SPs or small insert sets. Very cool

In case you don’t know, i collect Redskins. That’s the bulk of what i collect…of course you know that. Most of my card money goes to Redskins cards. Here’s a group of cards that Shane passed along to me in our trade.

I love the Joe Lavender cards. The shades are top notch…plus a Fleer action photo which aren’t the easiest to find!

Last card of the bunch is a card that i have…but love nonetheless. It’s a lovely Don Mattingly card. With Shane being a Red Sox fan, i’m sure he wasn’t too upset to part with the card…:)

Hey, that was a great trade…honestly, might be the best trade i’ve ever made. I was able to cross of a ton of stuff off my lists which these days is a very great thing.

Hope you guys are doing well and getting excited about the 2017 MLB season. I have quite a few things to post in the next few days or weeks, so lets go! Thanks for reading.

Heritage autograph issue

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 16, 2016

One of my favorite sets each year is Topps Heritage…actually it is my favorite set. I buy a few boxes…actually i buy quite a few boxes each spring and slowly and painfully build a set including all of those damn high numbers. What can i do, i’m a collector that must complete things.

One of the things that i love about Heritage is that it’s not a set based on “MoJo” or “Sick” hits, it’s just about set building…painful set building…but occasionally you get a nice autograph. Only one though, remember it’s not a gamblers box of cards. When you get that one auto it always seems to be pretty cool you know? Most of my autos through the years have been veterans that played during the season of the Heritage re-up which is super cool. Veteran guys that most of the time i know nothing about so it gives me a chance to learn a thing or two about a guy from the 50’s or 60’s. It’s great for the history of the game and for educating the younger or maybe less informed fan of baseball.

Here are a couple autos i received from my 2015 Heritage purchases a couple years ago (don’t think these have been posted yet…if so, i apologize!)

15-th-chuck-schilling-166-red-auto

When i first saw this autograph Red Sox card of a guy named Schilling, all i could think of was a stupid bloody sock and…nevermind…not a fan of Curt Schilling, so i’ll leave it at that. Now Chuck didn’t have a stellar career or a long career, only lasting 5 seasons with the BoSox. But hey, i’d take 5 years as a big leaguer over non years. As you can tell this card is red ink and numbered to 66…because it represents the 1966 Topps set…but also notice the 1. I always like to get the lower number cards thinking that the penmanship is better for these cards. Mr. Schilling has some pretty nice ink…right over the cup region to boot.

Next up is a younger, modern era player…maybe even a future superstar. I think it’s safe to say that the way he’s pitched the past couple of years he’s at the star level for a star filled Blue Jays organization. Mr. Aaron Sanchez

15-th-aaron-sanchez-auto

When i look at this photo, i feel incredibly old. He looks like he could be my son, my incredibly talented son with some additional flair to his signature. Wouldn’t be surprised if this isn’t the exact same way Amy Schumer signs her autographs…just look at it. I do appreciate how Aaron tucked his signature on his left shoulder over the white uniform. Nice backdrop for a pretty decent autograph.

Step into 2016 with me. Bought some more boxes of Heritage and pulled two autographs.

16-th-jake-wood-auto

Jake Wood. I love this card. Almost as much as the next one. The smile on Jakes face looks like a smile of content and pride…like a guy that is genuinely happy to be where he is at that point in his life. Now, i could be completely wrong as i don’t know Jake personally, but he just looks like nothing is ever too difficult for him. Jake along with ol’ Chuck from up the page didn’t have a stellar career although it lasted a couple years longer. Jakes is still pretty active and is doing some great things in the world according to wikipedia. He continues to play softball at the ripe old age of 79…i can only hope i can still bend over when i’m 79. Jake also mentors Inmates at a Jail in Florida for the “A Will and a Way” ministry. Good for him.

Next guy up, Mr. George Altman.

16-th-george-altman-auto

George to this point of my post has had the best professional baseball career (i see you Aaron Sanchez…). George played with the legends of Chicago Cubs baseball; Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo and did more than keep his own among that great group of ball players. As i mentioned above, this is one of my favorite cards from the bunch. George looks idk an intimidating guy, he is 6’4″. He’s also one of those odd guys that bats left and throws right…sorry batted/threw. He also became the first player in the history of baseball to hit two home runs of the legendary Sandy Koufax in one game…not sure how many guys ever did that, context is everything, but to be the first to do anything like that is a good thing.

Got a few more autograph posts lined up for the next few days. Nothing overly spectacular, but i’m hoping to learn a little about some of these guys. Hope you enjoyed reading!

This is what we were listening to at the office today. Childish Gambino aka Don Glover. Check it out!