I Didn't Forget About The Sloan Contest

I still need to random a winner of the Jerry Sloan card from the end of October, it's just been a super busy few weeks. I will jump on it after the Thanksgiving holiday....appreciate everyone's patience!

Enjoy your Turkey!

My First Wander Franco Cards

On one of my monthly trips back to Los Angeles I swung by my old job and watched a customer bust a number of boxes. As was usually the case when I was working there he took the hits only and left all of the base for anyone to pick through. I found a couple cards I was definitely more than happy to snag for free and submitted both for slabbing.

The first card was this 2019 Bowman Paper Prospects card of the best prospect in all of baseball, Mr. Wander Franco. It came back as a 10 and as I won't be dipping my toes into the deeper end of the Wander spectrum, this base rookie is plenty good enough for me.

What's better than one Wander card in a PSA 10 holder? Why, two PSA 10 Wanders, of course. Here's the 2019 Bowman Sterling Continuity offering of Wander's. There is most certainly a lot going on with this design, to say the least.

The Crown Jewel of My Roberto Clemente Collection: 1966 Kahn's Wieners Hand-Cut PSA Authentic!

My Roberto Clemente Collection is modest and there are plenty of more important/sought-after cards to chase but the below is by far my favorite Roberto that I own. I found this ages ago while cleaning at my old job at the card shop. I set it aside and there it sat for a long time before I finally asked my ex-boss to send it in to grade so we could better determine value and what I would dish out for it.

I love literally everything about the card: the yellow border; simple posed batting stance shot of the former Dodger farmhand; the facsimile auto; and last but not least the Spring Training background.

It ended up grading as I expected it would, Authentic only due to the obvious hand-cut being what you usually see with hand-cut cards....not perfect and janky. It came home with me on a recent trip back to Los Angeles and I couldn't be happier with the newest piece of my overall vintage collection.

A Most Beautiful Clayton Kershaw Card: 2016 Topps Chrome Sapphire, PSA 10!

Here's a cool Clayton Kershaw card that recently returned from a PSA submission.

I have the Corey Seager card from the same 2016 Topps Chrome Sapphire Edition set and it inspired me to grab Kid K. It's a most welcome addition to my Clayton PC.

2019 National Convention Purchase # 2: Howie Camnitz T206 Piedmont, SGC 30 (Double-Name)!

Here is the second of my four purchases at the 2019 National Convention in Chicago -- technically Rosemont -- only three months or so after the actual show took place. It was the first National I was able to attend and while work was really busy I was able to find some time to walk the floor. It was incredible and overwhelming at the same time and I can't wait to attend the 2020 show in Atlantic City and add a few more things to my collection.

There was so much to take in that I'm sure I missed some killer stuff but I was as thorough as I could be with the time I had to check out the tables. Tuesday while setup was occurring was the best day by far to walk because there was no work to be done so I had all the freedom in the world. The first card I nabbed was the above Howie Camnitz T206. It's the Arms at Side variation with a Piedmont back, slabbed an SGC 30.

Most importantly, it has a Double-Name. That's what attracted me to the card in the vendor's showcase and I was willing to pay full-price but he actually gave me a discount without even asking, which was unexpected and appreciated. I could have bought him out with enough time....oh, and money. That thing too.

It's another welcome addition to my growing T206 Collection.

(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: A Nice T206 Tolstoi Back Addition, PSA 3.5!

Earlier this year I spotted a sweet Zack Wheat I didn't have in an auction house's upcoming auction. I decided to make a run for it knowing the auction house allowed for pickup, figuring that saving on shipping and insurance gave me a little wiggle room to put in a larger bid. While I forgot about the buyer's premium (because I'm an idiot, you see) I was still happy with the final price on the below beaut.

Here's my fourth Zack Wheat T206 in a back-run I will likely never complete. Tolstoi is a tougher back and certainly a more popular one so I knew it wouldn't be as cheap as I was hoping for but it's a really presentable 3.5 and a welcome addition.

2019 National Convention Purchase # 1: Grover Cleveland Alexander 1921 Exhibits, Slabbed a BVG 2!

Here's purchase one from the 2019 National that has been over for weeks.This was actually the last thing I bought after I spotted this card on the final day of the show. I knew it was a player I did not own anything of and after quite a bit of negotiation I was able to land the newest addition to my Vintage PC for a fair enough price.

Alexander was a corn shucker in his formative years; helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1926; fought in World War I where he suffered injuries that contributed to epilepsy; and has ties to two Presidents, being named after the 22nd and 24th Presidents and being portrayed by future President Ronald Reagan in a movie based on his life.

Here's the back complete with a stamp from a previous owner of the Exhibit, a Mr. Kevin J. Kenney. I like anything that doesn't take away from the presentability (not a word, I know....) of a card while lowering it's technical grade as that helps keep the card affordable. This cool back stamp fits that bill perfectly.

Corey Seager 2017 Topps Gold Label Framed Autograph, Red Parallel, #'d 5/5 (BGS 9.5-10 AU)

Today's scan does not do today's card any amount of justice as is often the case with cards in Beckett slabs. I couldn't resist the below when it stayed well within my range on eBay one day and it's the newest addition to my Corey Seager PC.

Numbered 5/5 (with Seager's jersey number being 5....an extra and added bonus) is this beautiful 2017 Topps Gold Label Red Parallel Framed Autograph, slabbed a BGS 9.5/10 Auto. Pre-injuries this would have been maybe twice as much as what I paid and I was more than happy to pick it up at a nice discount.

Tris Speaker T206 Pickup: Sweet Caporal 350/Factory 30 Back, Slabbed a PSA 1!

Here's one of the most aesthetically-appealing and pleasing cards out there, from any set and any era. I saw this card cross my desk and noted that I needed to follow along when it hit the auction block in case it stayed within my range. It did and I was able to land it for less than VCP.

This is my first card of Hall of Famer Tris Speaker. For a PSA 1 it presents very well and is a most welcome addition to my T206 Collection. Speaker was such a renowned fielder that his glove was referred to as "Where Triples Go To Die" which is a simply fantastic nickname.

Speaker was a member of three World Series winners; won an MVP award; was player-manager of the Indians for 8 years; was both a telegraph lineman and cowpuncher prior to reaching the bigs; was one of the first managers to utilize a platooned lineup, and was reportedly a member of the KKK although he did help Larry Doby upon the latter's arrival in Cleveland.

Post-career Speaker owned his own wholesale wine and liquor business; headed up the Cleveland Boxing and Wrestling Commission; and was President of the short-lived National Professional Indoor Baseball League.

Happy Birthday, Walter Johnson! My First WaJo: 1921 Exhibits, PSA 1!!!

Occasionally I will take a minute and ponder which all-time great pre-war players are absent from my Vintage Collection. If I can rectify that situation I make the effort to find something not only cool but also unique to my collection from a set perspective. Such was the case earlier this year when I realized I did not own anything of the one and only Walter Johnson.

I looked for something unique set-wise but ended up landing on a card from a set I already had checked off of my list thanks to Zack Wheat. Nevertheless I couldn't be happier with my first card of the legendary hurler.

Hailing from the 1921 Exhibits set is this absolutely gorgeous Big Train, slabbed a PSA 1. It presents a lot better and is held back by damage to the back and a few pinholes much more visible when viewing the reverse.

Exhibits have taken off in popularity and price for HOFers over the last couple of years so nabbing this bad boy for a very reasonable price was icing on the cake.

Hal Chase T206 Pickup Number 3 of 5: Pink Portrait, Sweet Cap 150/Factory 25, PSA Authentic Altered

I'm aiming to acquire all five Hal Chase poses in the T206 set and today's addition gets me 60% of the way there. I snagged this baby from my old job and sent it off to PSA after starting my job there. It came back a few months ago.

Complete with a Sweet Cap 150/Factory 25 back is the Pink Portrait, freshly slabbed as Authentic Altered due to the obvious slight trim the card has.

Nemo Leibold 1922 W575-1, PSA 1 (MK)

Sometimes vintage is just too cheap and interesting to pass up. That's how this 1922 W575-1 of Nemo Leibold, graded a PSA 1 (MK), ended up in my collection.

Leibold was a part of two World Series winning teams -- the White Sox in 1917 and the Senators in 1924 -- and got to play alongside Shoeless Joe Jackson on those '17 Sox. He drove in the final run in the clinching game of that series; quit high school to work for Edison Electric; and became a manager post-playing career. It doesn't exactly fit my collection but I struggle to pass up on affordable vintage.

My Only Giannis Antetokounmpo Card!

Here's another part of one of the submissions I've gotten back since working at PSA. It's my one and only card of Giannis but this sweet 2013-14 Pinnacle RC thankfully came back in a 10 holder.

For the minor overall investment I have in the card, including grading fees, I couldn't be more pleased with my only card of The Greek Freak. It's low-end but a nice-looking card and the slabbed 10 is a nice cherry on top.