Road Trip Packs II

Posted by cardboard hogs on June 3, 2013

The next pack along the road was actually a blaster of 2013 Leaf Draft from Wal-Mart. Purchased at 12:30am. This was actually the first group of cards I purchased on the trip and were picked up on a midnight run for ‘snacks’…plus I was really curious what type of Wal-Martians I could find around 1am on a Friday night…and just like the box of cards, the Wal-Martians were just ok.

This is a product I buy a few packs of each year in hopes of getting the Redskins draft picks…the value of these cards is minimal and the quality of them is about the same, but if you like a specific college or NFL team, it’s nice to get the players first (or last) card depending on your perspective. I’ve never picked up a blaster box of these guys before, so I’m not sure if this is typical, but the package came with 2 autographs in top loaders and placed in a team bag. I thought that was pretty cool. No need to open any packs to see what your hits were. They were just there! I also thought it was pretty cool that Leaf managed to package them so nicely to keep them in as close to mint condition as possible.

The first auto was Markus Wheaton. A receiver from Oregon State who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round. Not a bad auto considering what else I could have pulled.

The second auto was of Sean Porter, whom quite ironically is from Schertz, Texas and went to Samuel Clemens. The box of cards was purchased in little ol’ Schertz, Texas. Porter is an A&M product and played Linebacker during his four year career. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Next up are the Redskins players.

Jordan Reed TE – 3rd round from Florida. Early reports from the couple of practices he participated in were really high on this kid. It sounds like he can become a big time playmaker at Tight End and hopefully compliment Fred Davis for years to come.

Brandon Jenkins DE – 5th round from Florida State. When healthy, he was pretty much a beast at FSU and could have gone much earlier had he indeed been healthy. If Jenkins is able to rebound, he should be a nice compliment to Orakpo and Kerrigan next year and hopefully the next 5 years.

Jawan Jamison RB – 7th round from Rutgers. Mike Shanahan has a way of hitting on running backs. Here’s hoping Jamison can be another one. He too was injured but has a huge upside…but injuries tend to derail the greatest of athletes, especially if they limit opportunities in practice and games.

Although the cards were not that impressive, I was pretty happy with what i pulled. If anyone out there has a desire to trade for the autos, please let me know…could be nice for a Bengals or Steelers collector!

Vintage Redskins and funny helmets

Posted by cardboard hogs on May 4, 2013

So, one of my goals as a Redskins collector has been to acquire some vintage cardboard. As you vintage collectors know, this is difficult for various reasons. They tend to be a little pricey for a basic common card and they are not always in the best of condition. I’m trying to be a little selective in the cards I do end up purchasing, but also keeping in mind that I don’t need gem mint versions of 60 year old cards. I kind of like the softer corners and faded images of these cards. They help tell the story or history of that card. I can imagine some 10 year old in 1955 getting excited to pull an Eddie LeBaron card from his Bowman Football card pack, rocking the face mask-less leather helmet and chin strap, just in case someone knocks his lid off…

In picking up these vintage Redskins cards, I stopped and visited with a dealer that i typically pass up. My first interaction with him a few months ago wasn’t that great. He had a sign that was a little confusing and instead of getting 80% off, i paid 80% of the card value…so i stayed away for a while as i am a tremendous grudge holder. Today though, the Cedar Hills show was dead and I had time to (re)visit new tables. I guess that’s what happens when it’s a sunny May day in Portland, Oregon. Nobody wants to be inside looking at old cardboard. So, with less dealers, there was more time to look at stuff i normally pass up. The dealer was much more welcoming and open about his pricing this time and an provided an excellent conversation. He explained his pricing and had gotten rid of the confusing signs which i appreciated. Maybe i’m just a dolt and didn’t get it, but who says you pay 80% of the price, you say 20% off…am i right? I have an issue with holding grudges, but i need to let go.

Anyways. The vintage selection this guy had of his football cards were fantastic. Most of them were in good condition with minimal creases, plus he had them organized by year and card number which i appreciated.

The prices were very fair considering the condition and age of the cards and he even gave me a break on the Sam Baker card. Being in Oregon, like any other place in the country, when you get a hometown guy his cards tend to be in higher demand. Mr. Sam Baker is from Corvallis and played at Oregon State University…which is a rival to my Oregon Ducks, but I don’t really care as a Redskin trumps Ducks 8 days a week…Ironically, the High School Sam Baker went to (Corvallis High School) was demolished and redone by my office a few years ago. We did a pretty good job on the project.

One of the great things about the vintage cards is the level of graphics and cut & past images. If you look closely at the very racist Redskins mascot for the two cards below, you can see the image was cut out differnetly and the image of the indigenous person is darker than the other card. I have no problem with this at all, just noticed it.

Another thing to check out is the sweet soft-white vignetting that surrounds the players. This is especially noticeable on Ralph Gugliemli as he does his best RG3 impersonation…look at that hair…fantastic…who needs helmets when you have locks like that? Who knew Daniel Craig was a Tight End for the Redskins in 1954?

The last card is Don Bosseler. There are no backstories to this card for me, but he looks like a total badass and someone you really don’t want to mess with. He went to The U, which i’m pretty sure was different back then…but i’m sure he is connected in someway to Luther Campbell.