I Am Nearly 50% Complete On My 1962 Mars Attacks PSA 4 Set Build!

It's been too long since I posted an update for my 1962 Mars Attacks PSA 4 Set Build, and I just so happen to have two sitting patiently in my "to deal with" pile of stuff that has accumulated during my hobby lull. I am positive I picked these up at a Front Row Card Show from one of my all-time favorite dealers. The set build had a chunk appear all at once but it has been slow since then.

# 49 -- The Earthmen Charge -- is first up. Beautiful artwork as always, although nowhere near as graphic as most of the cards in the set.

Next up, the more visually appealing card as Mars Explodes (# 54) joins the club.

This dealer is always willing to work with me on price if I can show my comp work, and this time was no different. I always appreciate that willingness, and because of it, I now move to 25/55 in my journey to complete this project. 45.5% of the way there feels great and I hope to be solidly over halfway there by the end of 2026.

A Silky Smooth Zack Wheat 1911 Pickup

Some time ago an oddity appeared on eBay with a name I collect in the title "WHEAT." I was very intrigued to take a closer look at the seller-provided pictures and lo and behold an exceptionally rare Zack Wheat item was part of the piece up for sale. It's been so long that I don't recall if it was an auction or a Buy-It-Now listing but I knew I could not let it pass me by.

I really love the S74 Silks that came out at the same time as the T206 set and for the longest time it was a White Whale. I posted about the White Wheat Silk I landed and now I can pair it with a beautiful Colored Silk. It was attached to the decorative display you see below and after some painstaking surgery to remove the four baseball players (Wheat, Hooks Wiltse x 2, and Harry Steinfeldt) as well as the bloodhound in the middle, the sport silks were sent to SGC for encapsulation.

I still have the non-Zack guys available if anyone is interested and I continue to sell off huge chunks of my collection. This one took a long time to track down but the journey and story were worth the wait as I never anticipated finding one like this!

Timothy Olyphant on Archer Always Brings A Smile To My Face!

Hey, a post two weeks in a row! I'm back again and shockingly, I'm back with a couple more Archer sketch cards I picked up from eBay.

The threesome bed sketches were the Short Print of the sketch card run in this product, as all artists were asked to contribute a few. That does make them a little more valuable even though I prefer a direct from a scene artist rendering.

This bad boy had been up on eBay for ages and my offers were continually turned down to the point I ran out of offers. Eventually I relented and went up about $5 from where I wanted to be, and I am happy I did as I only have one other sketch of Lucas Troy (voiced by the legendary Timothy Olyphant) in my collection.

Elvin Hernandez is the man behind the color pencils and I just realized that this becomes my third piece from him and all are the bed sketches, creating a cool threesome sketch from just one creative mind.

These sketch cards have climbed in price over the last 6 months in a way I didn't expect, so when they pop for low prices I have to jump no matter what. That is how I ended up with this Barry Dylan from JC Fabul, as it was still at pre-bump prices last week and I could not let it pass by.

I'm Back with More Archer Sketch Cards

I know nobody reads this blog anymore, and I don't blame anyone but myself due to the lack of consistent posting over the last 6 years. I still collect, although barely at this point compared to my younger days. This hobby has simply taken the joy I once had and crushed it.

That being said, I will always seek out cool Archer stuff as I love that show with all of my heart. Amber Nash has also started a re-watch podcast (RePhrasing) that I highly recommend! It's definitely breathed some life back into my collecting genes.

Here are seven new 1/1 sketches for my PC with the dual Archer and Pam from Season 4's The Papal Chase easily being my favorite.

Updating a 10-Year-Old Post: My Roy Campanella Rookie Looks Different

Ten and a half years ago I posted about acquiring a grail Roy Campanella card: his 1949 Bowman Rookie. I was absolutely thrilled to land it and since I have actually landed another. However, the first will always hold a special place in my Dodgers' heart. I decided the wise thing was to protect it from the clumsiness that is moi.

After subbing it to PSA with a couple of other cards, it returned looking safer and sounder in its PSA 1 slab. This card still makes me smile all these years later. A simple portrait of Campy; vibrant color; and enough damage on the front and back that brought it into my range but not so much damage that it detracts in any way from the glory that it exudes -- they all combine to make one happy camper!