Sittin’ on Chrome

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 18, 2020

Retail is crazy man, insane really. I remember not that long ago when we would all laugh and joke about spending (read wasting) a Jackson on a blaster from Topps or Panini at your local Target or Wal-Mart. We would go as far as saying, I spent $20 bucks on cards from COMC or Sportlots or eBay and got a whole bunch of fill in the blanks that I needed for my PC!!! Yeah, I was one of those guys…but something happened.

What was it?

Greed?

FOMO?

COVID-19?

Social Media?

No. It was Gary Fuckin’ Vee!!!

Well, not really. It was a bit of all of those things…(side note, I have nothing against Gary Vee or what he has brought to the hobby, any interest in the hobby in my mind is a good thing) every one of those, plus more than what I mentioned. I’m sure of it.

Crazy times ya’ll.

So with retail evolving into sneaker heads land and lines waiting for new releases or limited editions of whatever’s new, my thirst for retail has grown. Grown more out of the FOMO category more than anything else, but also just enjoying a good cheap rip once in a while. I like to open cards. I would venture to say we all do, or at least the vast majority of us…I need to do a better job of not speaking for others…I never depended on anything from Target to build a collection around, just something that was inexpensive that I could open on a Tuesday night…fill some need for instant gratification…and go on with my life. A few years ago I began hording boxes. I’d buy a box or two but not open them, you know? Just buy them.

Saving them for a rainy day.

Saving them for a day that didn’t go as I had planned.

Saving them for a long week of work.

Saving them for something to write about on a blog I abandoned.

Saving them for something cool to break.

I could pick up blasters of cards that I’m not super interested in, but like to have just to get an idea of what they look like…I like design and I like sports, so sports cards fill both of those buckets for me…but also the rip factor.

That has obviously come to a screeching halt during the past six plus months, but I have still managed to accumulate a few tasty samples from Target and Wal-Mart as well as from my LCS’s Hoody’s and The Sports Room.

The first two locales for an acquisition are great because the’re based on MSRP…no ‘flippity flip flipper-life’ markups. There’s no LCS overhead cost markup or anything else that would make the box more than they should be. Trust me (you know this too), retail boxes should not be going for these nutso upticked prices.

…HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT PRIZM FOOTBALL IS GOING FOR ON EBAY, HOLY SMOKES!!!!…

The hobby shops are a bit of a different story, there’s a markup. The great folks over at Hoody’s though, didn’t do too much for this box of Topps Chrome 2020 I picked up a couple months ago. $35 for a $20 box. Nothing too egregious I guess…?

The packs are lovely aren’t they, Mr. Pete Alonso and some honeycomb corners for the exciting Sepia Refractor Pack. Let’s see if this was worth the $35!

Here are the results of the box and the ‘bonus sepia pack’

*****

PACK ONE

Joey Gallo and Bobby Bradley

AJ Puk ’85 Insert and Luis Urias

*****

PACK TWO

JD Martinez and Austin Nola

Robel Garcia Prism Refractor and Ian Desmond

*****

PACK THREE

Archie Bradley and George Springer

Jean Segura Refractor and Trevor Story

*****

PACK FOUR

Paul Goldschmidt and Lucas Giolito

Austin Riley ’85 Insert and Jose Altuve

*****

PACK FIVE

Freddie Freeman and Nicky Lopez

Dansby Swanson Refractor and Charlie Blackmon

*****

PACK SIX

Matt Olson and Rafael Devers

Mike Yastrzemski Future Stars and Michael Fulmer

*****

PACK SEVEN

Randy Arozarena and Kevin Newman

Babe Ruth Decade of Dominance Die-Cut and Sam Hilliard

*****

PACK EIGHT…THE SEPIA PACK!

Fernando Tatis Jr. Refractor

Aaron Civale Refractor

Orlando Arcia Refractor

Luis Arraez Refractor

*****

All this writing reminds me of one of my favorite all-time MC’s, MASTA ACE! Here’s Sittin’ on Chrome…the namesake for today’s post. Enjoy the jeep thumping mid-90’s bass heavy joint.

A Legends Auto

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 6, 2016

I’ve been a Redskins fan my entire life…well…almost, since i was 6 years old. Through the years, i’ve done my very best to learn about the history of the team and the some of the greatest athletes to wear the burgundy and gold. One of the guys that was ahead of my time as a fan, but someone that i have a ton of respect for and wish i could have watched play is Hall of Famer Charley Taylor.

One of the greatest receivers of all time and a fellow Texan!

Charley retired from the NFL in 1978 as the all time leader in receptions with 649 catches, 9,110 yards (1,488 rushing) and 79 receiving touchdowns (11 rushing). The first couple years of his career, he was sort of a dual threat as a receiver and running back. He was rookie of the year in 1964 after posting over 1,560 yards rushing and receiving…pretty impressive!S

Seeing theses numbers over a 13 year career really reflects how the game has changed through the years. With top receivers picking up 90+ catches a year and over 1,000 yards each season you tend to forget about some of these all time greats of the game that helped define what we now watch on sundays…some rule changes and cultural shifts have helped as well.

Shifting gears a little bit, but staying with Redskins having the sir name of Taylor…i missed posting something on Sean Taylor during the 9 year anniversary of his untimely passing. I have one un-posted card in the queue…and here it is. He would have continued to be an amazing player…very sad for all of us Redskins fans and a player that will always be loved.

$05 TF Sean Taylor Green Refractor 178:199$

Just found a fantastic new hip hop documentary on netflix last night and it kept me up all night, “Hip-Hop Evolution”…i thought it was done incredibly well with tons of great back stories and interviews. This is what i was hoping The Get Down would be…glad the story was told one way or another. Check it out if you are interested in this sort of thing…

Chromeo Rainbow

Posted by cardboard hogs on January 18, 2014

Here are the last notable scans from last weeks show. These Chrome gems were picked up from my first table stop, Tom. Tom always has some great new Redskin stuff for me…makes my collecting easier plus I can save some time by not sorting through a ton of cards I won’t ever purchase.

Tom has been my mainline for Jawan Jamison short print and serial numbered cards…and he continued with this beauty.

$13 TC Jawan Jamison Refractor Black Border 96:299$

Next up is the start of a beautiful chromey Amerson Rainbow.

Amerson Refractor!

$13 TC David Amerson Refractor$

Amerson X-Fractor!

$13 TC David Amerson Refractor X$

That’s all for now…here is some Chromeo to ride out to…

Rookie Autos!

Posted by cardboard hogs on December 21, 2013

I think the 2013 Redskin rookie class could be a pretty good one. Most of their performances were overshadowed by injuries, lack of playing time or just not being ready for NFL action. One of my favorites and a guy that i’ve been picking up a lot of cards of has been Jordan Reed. One of the knocks on him coming out of Florida was his tendency to suffer injuries, or not being able to play through the injuries. He has been shut down for the remainder of the season due to a concussion. I’m hoping this isn’t a precursor to future issues with him as he’s shown to be a player with a ton of upside.

I have a pink chrome refractor card autographed by Mr. Reed…This is a very masculine card.

$13 TC Jordan Reed Pink Refractor Auto 12:75$

…and a nice fancy topps base card auto that is unfortunately a sticker auto.

Another kid that i’ve been really excited to see play has been Jawan Jamison. He’s been on the practice squad for most of the year and made the roster last week, but was inactive for the Falcons game. I’m hoping he can see the field against Dallas this weekend and get some good runs in…all over the field agains the Cowteam.

JJ has an extremely tiny signature, but it’s numbered to 25. This card was picked up at the last card show i went to that Tom had pulled for me. He told me he had a nice short print autograph card for me that i could have for free if i could name the player. I said Alfred Morris, wishful thinking i guess…didn’t get the card for free, but I got my usual great deal from Tom and was very pleased to walk away with this platinum #1 beauty.

It’s a little weird seeing a Redskin wear #47 and it not be Chris Coooooooley!

This man is no boy, Pierre Garçon

Posted by cardboard hogs on November 20, 2013

One bright shining star in a dimly lit season has been Pierre Garçon. In his second season with the Redskins he has clearly become RGIII’s number one target. Mostly because he can catch just about any poorly thrown pass, whether it be at his ankles or 8 feet above his head…Pierre’s got this!

And i got this! An autograph refractor numbered to 10. It’s shiny and pretty. As with all sticker autos, i hate them, they suck…and this is the reason why. His autograph is decent and fairly clean, except for the part where, you know, the autograph runs off the sticker. The autograph is certified by Topps and that means the world to me, doesn’t it do the same for you? No matter, still a beautiful piece of cardboard or card stock.

When he was signed last season as a free agent and one of their ‘big’ signings under the $36M cap hit, i immediately thought…great, another free agent bust in a time when the team really can’t afford one. My instincts failed me miserably and Garçon has quickly become one of my favorite Redskins to watch each week. Win or lose, i don’t think anyone else on the field plays with as much passion or intensity as he does. The guy runs angry, like he really wants to injure someone…seriously injure them…possibly maim them for life as he runs through them violently.