Trade With BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet: Kemp, Kershaw, Allen Webster, and Kai Forbath.

I completed my second trade with Mike from BA Benny's Baseball Card Buffet. Mike returned after a long hiatus, and we restarted trade talks from before his temporary departure. The bubbler that arrived had some cool stuff in it, beginning with another sweet Matt Kemp Ginter relic, my fourth from 2008.

On top of that Kemp, I received three new Bisons to add to my Matty collection, as well as a new Kid K. The Clayton gives me 150 unique cards of the Texas Southpaw. The stickers are sweet, and serve as a bit of a different PC addition for my collection. The sticker featuring the old Brooklyn throwbacks is by far my favorite card of the entire package, and it's not even a card.

A fantastic Bowman Platinum Refractor autograph of former Dodgers' farmhand and touted pitching prospect Allen Webster is the next card of note.

Next up, a pretty cool card of former UCLA Bruins' kicker Kai Forbath, who was on the team while I was on campus. It's from 2011 Sage and is a Make Ready parallel, numbered 36/50.

And finally, a Karim Garcia signature. I don't remember Garcia at all, and that's probably a good thing.

Thanks for a great trade Mike, and I appreciate you joining the last card draft as well!

Trade With Cardboard Collections: Gordon, Ginter, Sproles, and Blue.

I completed my second trade with Colbey from Cardboard Collections. Colbey contacted me about a few cards from my Want List he could help out with, and our second deal was underway after a few e-mails. I received two relics and a bit of Ginter help when all was said and done.

First up, a sweet Darren Sproles relic, complete with a powder blue piece of jersey. Every Chargers' relic should feature powder blue. There should be some sort of federal law stating such a mandate. The card surface is in some sort of weird and totally awesome textured state, which I really dig. It also happens to be numbered 258/299 and prominently features a sick action shot of the former Chargers' tailback. Part of me thinks it has patch-like qualities. Who knows.

Next up, a new addition to my small Alex Gordon PC. It's been a while since I've added a card to this particular tertiary collection, but I like Gordon a lot and am always happy to pick up a hit of his. And again, a sweet blue relic. Put simply, if blue is a color in your uniform scheme, it should be the color used in relics.

And finally, the aforementioned Ginter help. 2011 Ginter, that is, as Colbey sent along four Hometown Heroes I needed. I'm still working on '11 Ginter, fellow card bloggers.

Thanks for the trade Colbey! I'll have something headed your way as soon as I can!

Clayton Kershaw Is One of A Kind, Yet The Dodgers Risk His Health?

As I watch the Dodgers allow an injured Clayton Kershaw to pitch down the stretch as the team's playoff hopes stand at something like 5-10%, I'm reminded how stupid and short-sighted this organization has been, can be, and is. There is in fact baseball beyond 2012 guys. Remember that as you allow Kershaw to pitch with a hip injury that - even though doctors say it can't get worse - could lead to Kid K altering his delivery and hurting his amazing arm.

You know, like Eric Gagne did all of those years back. Sometimes I wonder what it's like to be a fan of a team that has intelligent ownership and an intelligent General Manager. I mean, I'm stoked to be rid of the McCourts, and this ownership group has potential, but throwing money around doesn't inherently solve problems, especially when it seemingly has no rhyme or reason and might just be a P.R. ploy. Oh, and keeping Colletti is, well, turrible.

The team will easily be better next year when you factor in Matt Kemp isn't likely to miss 60ish games, but without Kershaw, 2013 could be a lost cause. Anyways, on a brighter note, the above Kershaw 1/1 Yellow Printing Plate from 2011 Bowman Finest Futures was had for just under $16 and is only my second Clayton plate. Clayton has followed up his Cy Young season with another 5 WAR season.

Hello Yellow, I'm Nowhere Near Mellow: Ryan Getzlaf Dominion 1/1 Yellow Printing Plate!

After picking up the Black 1/1 Printing Plate of my main man Ryan Getzlaf from the inaugural release of Dominion, I knew that given the opportunity and possessing the necessary funds, I would go hard after any of the other three plates, should any of them pop. Well, this eventually made itself known on eBay:

You can guess what happened next. I made an offer to the seller, and the above gorgeous babe appeared in my mailbox. It ran me more than the black plate, and became the most expensive card I had ever purchased at the time. But again, totally worth it considering the player, the card, the set, and the fact that yellow and black plates are without a doubt the best that the printing plate world has to offer.

What a beautiful pair they make.

Two down. Two to go.

A HUGE PC Addition: Ryan Getzlaf Dominion 1/1 Black Printing Plate!

Oh snap, this is a real doozy of a post! I am extremely proud to present to you the crowning achievement of my Ryan Getzlaf PC as it stands today: the Black 1/1 Printing Plate from Panini's inaugural release of Dominion!

I picked this bad boy up off of eBay months ago via the Best Offer option on the auction. I was able to use the funds generated from this deal on SCF towards the plate, which lessened the blow and covered over two-thirds of the cost of said black plate. It carried quite the price tag, but was totally worth it, as I love Dominion, Getz cards, and plates. Plus, I am going all-out to put together Captain Getz's Master Set from '10-'11 Dominion.

Holding this after it arrived was a fantastic feeling, particularly since I wasn't entirely sure I'd ever see one of the four plates available or have the opportunity to own one should any of them ever appear. At the time I purchased it, it was the most I had ever shelled out for a single card. It's a close call as to what my favorite Getz is - and thankfully I don't really have to choose - but this is just, well, a spectacular card. It also fulfills one of my 2012 Collecting Goals: grabbing a plate of Getzlaf. Oh, and it completes a Pentafecta for The Captain as well, which can be seen here and below:

Freebies From eBay. Seriously. FREE.

I picked up a sweet and seemingly rare Ryan Getzlaf card from eBay recently. I had only recalled seeing one copy previously available, and the seller had it listed with a large opening bid. It never sold, and it was constantly re-listed with the same starting mark before inevitably not selling. It was a card I really wanted, but not for anywhere near the price this seller was looking for. Then quite out of the blue, another copy popped with a low starting bid and a very reasonable Buy-It-Now price. I wasn't waiting around and taking any chances.

This may seem like just another sticker auto, but it's an earlier auto of the Ducks' Captain, and most importantly, he's not alone.

Boom! A sweet dual auto featuring former League MVP and goal-scoring champ Corey Perry. For just $12 and some pocket change, it was an easy pickup. Patience, my fellow collectors. Patience. This seller wasn't stopping at just listing cards with reasonable prices and helping my collection in that manner. He also sent along some freebies to reward me for my quick payment.

A Joe Thornton relic, #'d 107/599, for nothing more than being a good eBayer. This baby will be set aside with Matt's name on it for our next trade. There was also a Jonas Hiller base card I had already picked up via a Birthday Box Break and a J.S. Giguere gold medallion parallel from Fleer Ultra.

This was actually my second purchase from this fantastic seller, as roughly a week and a half earlier I scored another new Getz from him, one that also happened to include Mr. Perry.

The above beautiful dual relic - from the Draft Year Combos subset of '11-'12 Panini Rookie Anthology Hockey - commemorates the Ducks' fantastic 2003 draft, in which they landed both Getzlaf (19th overall) and Perry (28th overall). The Perry pick originally belonged to Dallas, but the Ducks' moved up from their two second round picks position to nab the former London Knight and pair him with the former Calgary Hitmen center.

The seller sent along another Getz relic, as well as a Peter Holland rookie (I have high-ish hopes for him) and a gold medallion Fleer Ultra parallel of Ryan I didn't have. I originally thought the Luxury Suite swatch was new, but it ended up being a duplicate, though a duplicate I'm more than happy to have, as I love all hits of my main guys, regardless of whether or not I already have them. It's numbered 265/599.

Give the seller, keato860, a look. He's one of the good guys, and they don't always finish last.

Just usually.

Future Star, Current Stud.

Falling in the category of a long, long, long time ago comes this newest addition to my Ryan Getzlaf Collection. I've only ever seen two or three of these available, and with a limited print-run to begin with, it was an easy pickup for less than a blaster.

It's slabbed by ITG, numbered 18/40, and features Getz's old number of 51, which he was awesome enough to inscribe with his John Hancock. It marks Getzlaf Signature # 33, which is just a reminder of how insane 2012 has been in regards to Getzlaf acquisitions.

Happy Bison Birthday!

Happy Birthday Matthew Ryan Kemp!

Thanks for being awesome and junk.

Glacially Graphing Getzlaf.

I've been after an '08-'09 UD Glacial Graphs signature of Ryan Getzlaf for a long time. The set is based in a really cool concept, as the players signed acetate and, most importantly, signed it on-card. After a long wait, I was finally able to land an affordable copy.

For just $6.25 delivered, the newest addition to my Captain Getz PC is one I'm absolutely thrilled to finally hold in my hands. The scan, as I find myself saying time and time again, doesn't do this beauty enough justice.

Acetate is just really, really cool.

Almost 6 Bills.

I recently scored a sweet Chad Billingsley autograph numbered out of 58. I don't focus on my modest Bills' PC enough, as he's long been one of my favorite Dodgers and a really good pitcher.

Numbered 47/58, all of Chad's signature made it onto the sticker, thankfully. $5.74 is a bargain, and it's a welcome addition. Hopefully Chad isn't down for too long with his injured elbow, which has felled him twice this season already and could potentially require surgery I'd prefer not to name.

A Sick 5-Color Patch /10, Getzlaf Dominion Edition.

Another Card Draft # 2 purchase to showcase, and it's a card I was really happy to pick up. I got into a small bidding war towards the end, but I thankfully prevailed and managed to add another fantastic card to my Ryan Getzlaf Collection and my Master Set of his Dominion cards. Numbered out of a scant 10 - 08/10, to be exact - it's an absolutely GORGEOUS five-color patch.

It came my way for $23 delivered, and I couldn't be happier, as it's one of the nicest, if not the nicest, patches in my Captain Getz PC. This is my third of the /10 patches of Getz from Dominion, and funny enough, the three copies I own are 7, 8, and 9 out of 10. I'm after any and every Getzlaf I can pick up from Dominion's inaugural release, and the pickings are getting a bit slimmer by the day. Also of note: two pickups from eBay were lost in the mail. I was refunded but of course I would have preferred the cards. Maybe they'll randomly show up one day after some long crazy journey across the country. Or they're sitting in some post office backroom right now.

A Pair of Franchise Faces: Matt Kemp and Ryan Getzlaf.

It makes collecting a lot of fun when your favorite players to watch and collect happen to be the faces of their respective franchises. Not that collecting lesser players isn't fun, but I love that three of the main four guys I collect are elite players teams build around. One seller on eBay had cards of two of those guys. I snatched both up. But of course.

First up, one of the most beautiful cards I've ever laid my eyes on. Seriously. The scan doesn't do it near enough justice. If you haven't picked up one of these Faces of The Franchise die-cuts from 2012 Topps Finest, DO SO NOW. They are simply stunning, and major props to Topps for coming up with them. The blue border works so perfectly with the Dodger Blue Matty is sporting, and of course, the name of the insert is nails, especially when you take into account it's The Bison. I wish there was a Kershaw one as well; honestly, I have no idea why there isn't one. These run one per master box, so a tough pull indeed, and I landed it for just $2.69 delivered. It's a fantastic addition to my Mattycakes Collection.

The second card of this two-card showcase is yet another sweet Ryan Getzlaf autograph. It's on-card, he's wearing the C and the Ducks' new third-jersey, and I like UD's Ultimate Signatures set. A great trio of characteristics for a card that I scored for a paltry $1.25 before utilizing the seller's combined shipping rate.

I picked up another auto that's already become trade bait, and all three cards totaled just under $8 shipped.

Those Cards You Never Knew Existed Until You Owned Them.

I love coming across cards I've never before encountered of my favorite players, and particularly enjoy it when the card in question is from one of the earliest releases they were featured in. Case in point, my newest Ryan Getzlaf hit:

I knew this card would be coming my way when I came across it on eBay. It's from 2004-2005 In The Game, and is the Sliver Version from whatever set it originates from. As such, it has a print-run of 90. Though the Captain is pictured in a Calgary Hitmen sweater, the back of the card specifically states the swatch comes from a Ducks' sweater. The eggplant color of the swatch and the year that the card was produced made that much obvious, ITG COA or no ITG COA. The Hitmen logo creepin' in the back is a sweet and much-appreciated touch.

An Elegant Moment, An Elegant Milestone.

I was able to add this sweet Russell Martin Yellow Printing Plate from 2008 Topps Moments & Milestones to my collection a while back, but I never got around to scanning it and posting it. I think it ran me under fifteen bucks. I'm sure it did.

It marks Martin Printing Plate # 6, my 8th Russell 1 of 1 overall, and makes for a sweet new addition to my Russ PC. The plate shows some clear wear and tear, which is a really cool aspect. It's the most worn of any plate in my entire collection.

Yellow and black plates are by far the best that the plate family has to offer.

Trade With Scott Crawford On Cards!: Getzlaf and Ginter.

I completed my second trade with Scott from Scott Crawford On Cards!. Scott hit up two areas of my collection. First up, a new Ryan Getzlaf, #'d 028/399.

The best part of the package - and it's rare that something non-Ryan Getzlaf is ever the best part of a package - is the 2011 Allen & Ginter help Scott was able to provide. Yes, I'm still working on 2011 Ginter. On top of 2012 A&G, of course. Such is life. I'm now 9 cards closer to completing '11, though.

Thanks for the swap Scott!

Blue Oyster Cup.

For a couple of George Washingtons I was able to add a sweet serial-numbered parallel to my Ryan Getzlaf Collection. No autograph, no relic of any sort. Just an old-fashioned, colored and numbered parallel.

Numbered 074/100, it's a blue parallel from 2010-2011 Panini Certified Champions, and features Ryan hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup. The fairly low print-run, blue color, and Cup itself were the draws, and it pairs very nicely with the autographed version I have (pictured below), so for pocket change it was an easy pickup.

Any card of Getzlaf and the Cup just calls to me. It calls to me to spend my money, is what it does.

Dabbling In High-End: Ryan Getzlaf 4-Color Dominion Patch /10

My love for Dominion knows no bounds. I've purchased more high-end cards in 2012 - especially Dominion - than I ever imagined I would at this point in my life and my collecting ways. I spotted this Ryan Getzlaf patch below, and it was listed as a Buy-It-Now. After vacillating for a while, I decided to go for it and scoop it up.

Numbered 07/10, it was had for just over the price of a blaster. The gold is just creeping in on the left, but it's a great four-color patch with a hefty helping of sweater as well. It's another fantastic addition to my Getz Collection.

Owning 20% of The Print-Run Makes Me Feel Like A Champion.

eBay has been a godsend in my attempts to acquire as many Ryan Getzlaf Dominion cards as possible. It has also reinforced how global hockey is, as I've purchased cards from sellers in the U.S., Canada, and most recently, Germany. For just $22.99 of Card Draft # 2 funds - and as the sole bidder, no less - this bad boy is now mine.

Numbered 02/10, it's my second Championship Gear Auto/Patch, the subset that has the aforementioned minuscule print-run of just 10. The seller shipped promptly and securely, and now the above beaut resides permanently in my Getzlaf PC. It features a fantastic on-card signature paired with a great four-color patch and some of the Captain's sweater thrown in for good measure.

An Autograph Borne Out Of Twitter.

The second I saw this card existed, I knew I wanted to add it to my collection. After seeing auctions end all over the map, I finally managed to track down a copy for a reasonable price (just over half a blaster). The set - Social Signatures - celebrates hockey players who are active on Twitter. Bobby Ryan certainly fits that mold.

The seller decided it would be fun and an intelligent idea to ship the card straight-up in a toploader. No penny sleeve, no tape closing the toploader, no team bag. He got a neutral and was docked heavily in the stars department, especially considering he charged $4 for shipping. Seriously. Penny sleeves cost a penny.

Anyways, I love everything about the card, and am thrilled to add it to my small but solid Bobby Ryan PC.

New York State of Mind.

A New York themed post is of course appropriate today. Here are a pair of new Russell Martins I picked up as a lot for about 6 bucks on eBay many moons ago.

First up, a Sparkle Parallel /99 from 2012 Topps Series 2, with my copy checking in at 98/99. The scan doesn't quite do it justice, as you can only see a bit of a darker hue than the below card sports. It definitely sparkles more in-hand. It was the main draw of the lot, but it brought a new friend along with it.

The base version of the sparkle parallel.

The Cheapest Group of Gypsy Queen Dudes in 2012.

I scored a sweet lot of five 2012 Gypsy Queen hits from my LCS a while back. For whatever reason I never got around to scanning them and writing something up. Anyways, for about seven clams and change, here's what I walked away with.

First up, a sweet Brandon Belt on-card auto. I had wanted a Belt auto for some time - I don't really know why, but I did - so that's been accomplished at the least. He's got an interesting signature.

Now, on to the relics. The mini relics usurp the full GQ relics, though I like both. The Steve Carlton was an easy pickup, and Topps went with some old-school wool the Hall of Famer once donned.

The only Dodger of the bunch is none other than Steve Garvey. It's the first Garvey relic in my collection, and Topps selected a great action shot of Steve.

Next up, a guy I marginally collect in Tommy Hanson. CYBORG HANSON TOMMY AGREES WITH THIS PICKUP.

And finally, another mini relic, this one featuring Angels' hurler Dan Haren.