Triple Trouble

Another day, another Archer sketch card. I somehow scanned this in six weeks ago but totally whiffed on writing it up and posting it. I guess it feels like a new purchase because of that mental lapse and when I buy new sketches, I feel good. So hey, an artificial good feeling! In times like these, I will take it.

Chad Cicconi is the artist, and it's only the second piece of his from the set I've managed to track down. The biggest draw here was not just his awesome artwork and another sketch to call my own. It's that with the huge rise in cost of these sketches I was able to get three characters basically for the price of what single character cards are going for.

Archer, Barry, and Katya don't appear together on screen until Season 2's finale, "Double Trouble." Katya debuts one episode earlier but only meets Sterling.

(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: The First Ever Fleer Baseball Cards Came Out in 1923

Today's featured piece of cardboard is one of the absolute rarest Zack Wheat items I have ever come across. Prior to purchasing it, I did not even know the set itself existed. A couple of years ago I connected with a guy on Instagram who told me his friend had this card and it was available. After researching it to learn anything and everything I could, I was given a price and happily paid up.

The 1923 Fleer Baseball set is similar to many strip card sets of the time -- an existing set was used to promote a variety of companies. The W515-1 and W515-2 sets morphed into the first ever Fleer baseball cards when the company put its advert on the backs of some of these.

Other than knowing I would likely never see the Wheat again (POP 1) it's also wildly miscut which is extra cool. Add on the player whose elbow and face you can see is fellow Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby....and I had to have this at all costs.

The all-important reverse is above, and they were printed upside down. Fleer included the cards in packages of "Bobs and Fruit Hearts." This bad boy will never leave my collection!

Just Call Him The Confectionary Kid

Today's card is oddball vintage, which always brings a smile to my face. I believe I bought it from an auction house but I could not tell you which one or when I bought it. I simply liked the rarity of the set and the player struck me as one worth owning.

Kid Gleason is the player, and he was a darn good one. He pitched and hit and was the manager of the 1919 Black Sox, so that portion of the equation was easy. The set -- 1922 W575-1 Henry Johnson -- was also easy as it's a very tough offshoot set of the normal W575-1 Strip Cards.

Henry A. Johnson was a Bay Area confectionary wholesaler. They stamped the back to promote their company and finding them now is not always easy or cheap. I may not keep this card as my collecting habits/love of the hobby has changed since acquiring it, but for now, it's a very cool addition to my Vintage PC.

(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: El Principe De Gales, The Sexiest of T206s Backs!

Today's Zack Wheat pickup was an auction house score a couple of years back. I don't recall which auction house, but I felt the price was fair for a tougher T206 back and one that is easily the most fun to say out loud.

This becomes my 7th different Wheat back and while I would love to have the entire run one day and will likely keep it as a goal I will theoretically pursue, I know it's not the most likely thing to accomplish. Price and availability often make the T206 completion game a difficult task from the jump.

The back being clean is a nice plus! PSA scans usually work well for me, but unfortunately this time they came out a wee bit blurry (at least to my old eyes).

Ohhhhh, We're Halfway There.....

July begins with another addition to my slow and steady set build of the beautiful 1962 Mars Attacks. I am building it in PSA 4 form, with no qualifications to how old or new a label it arrives in. Despite nabbing a couple at local card shows, most have come from eBay and today's entry is no different.

Number 6 in the set, Burning Navy Ships, is the lucky card that becomes number 28 of 55 and officially moves me to over 50% of the project being in-hand.

Here is the back for those who enjoy seeing both sides of a piece of cardboard.

Going Back To The Same Old Well

A quick post on two recent sketch cards I treated myself to. Shockingly, it was only two. Not shockingly, they come from the Cryptozoic Archer set I absolutely adore.

Elvin Hernandez is the artist on this Malory piece and I am nearing a literal handful of his creations. This and its compatriot below were some of the last affordable ones online, and specifically some of the last I like from an artistic standpoint. I buy a lot but there are some I will pass on unless they drop in price by 50% or more.

Joe Rubinstein makes another appearance with this Cheryl/Carol.

Bloody Ferlin

Multi-character Archer sketch cards hold an even more special place in my heart now because single-character sketches have jumped in price. I can justify "standard" sketch card purchases so I've started to realize I should go up in the price I am willing to pay for multiple characters and awesome artwork. Today's featured piece is a prime example of that:

Episode 9 of Season 3 -- "Bloody Ferlin" -- is a phenomenal episode of the show and this Gillette and Cheryl tag team effort is pure beauty. Emily Riggsby is the artist and this scene was so, so funny. It sat on eBay for some time before I finally reached out to the seller. We went back and forth but a deal was struck and this baby is now a permanent piece of my collection.

Lana With Those Hoop Earrings

A quick post as I need this scan up as soon as possible. Archer sketches don't usually come cheap any more, but when they do I tend to jump on them as long as the artwork is even remotely good. It's always better than the art I could produce, but I need to be a little discerning so I don't go broke.

Lana Kane joins the club, with this piece being another from the mind of Josef Rubinstein that will join my hopefully never-ending collection of Archer sketches and assorted goodies.

Barry, Or Other Barry. Who Can Say.

The cardboard gods were shining upon me recently when I spotted the below up for auction on eBay and my winning bid not only held but held up at about half of what I expected it would sell for if it sold for a low amount.

Joe Hogan and his rendition of Bartholomew Aloysius "Barry" Dylan joins my Archer PC at a time when I've been able to add a number of sketches. However, I know full well a dry spell is almost certainly right around the corner.

But while it lasts, I will truly cherish every sketch pickup!

Joy Of A Completed Set: 2001 Inkworks The Simpsons Mania! Autographs (!!)

Sometimes the last card you need for a set is difficult to track down. Sometimes that card is expensive. And sometimes both of those team up to make it a nightmare to complete a project. The below is an example of a piece of cardboard that fell into both categories and laughed at me as I pursued it.

The 2001 Inkworks The Simpsons Mania! autograph set ran 7 cards deep and features everyone you would want outside of Julie Kavner, who did not sign for either Simpsons' set I worked on. I started at a time when none were outlandish, but being a 20ish year old set made them a fun challenge. Eventually the market caught up and all jumped up in price with Nancy Cartwright being the toughest and most financially draining.

Nancy was the last I needed and I lost out on many an auction and had to let many others pass me by because I simply could not justify the price point. Eventually I relented and found a price I was comfortable with. I don't recall if it was an auction, BIN, or Best Offer as it's been a year and a half.

All that matters now is it is mine!

If grading were actually affordable I might go that route with both sets just because it would look cool and provide security, but it's not affordable and the less money I put into the hobby now, the better I feel.

My personal Springfield continues to grow a little bigger.

Dolphin Puppets + Boobs: A Perfect Combo in Archer and The Real World

The last of my new Archer sketch card pickups popped up from a random seller who listed three at once. I wanted all but one was waaaay pricier than I cared for. The second was very nice but was more than I wanted to drop for what it was. The third one -- the one that would very soon become mine -- perfectly combined price with artist with sketch quality with number of characters present.

Darren Auck is the artist and he's long been one of my favorites in the set. Any newly unearthed sketch catches my eye by default but this really stood out. Darren is -- in my opinion -- referencing Archer covering Lana's breasts with stickers in the Season 4 premier as well as when he covered them with stickers in outer space (Season 3 two-part finale).

What makes this really cool is he is covering them with oven mitts featuring another character, so it's a three for one situation we find ourselves in. Four for one if you consider each dolphin puppet a separate entity. Anything with Beauregard on it, aka Pam's HR dolphin puppet, is a winner in my book.

(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: An Extremely Rare T206 Back Addition.....Red Hindu!

This is one card I 100% never thought I would own, and I specifically mean this copy of this card in addition to the card itself seemingly being unattainable. Red Hindu T206s are very tough, ranking Top 10 in scarcity. Factor in that some players always feel like they have less of a certain back combination that they exist in, and I knew it would always be a difficult get. The "this copy" comes in as this exact copy came in with a collection to the card shop I was working at, and I was instantly smitten. My boss almost immediately had it sold to a really good and wealthy customer, and it was out the door about as soon as it came in.

I took a picture with it (it was raw at the time) and kept that photo on my phone for damn near a decade, looking at it every so often and remembering a wonderful card, a super cool collection, and a great time in my life. But then a funny thing happened, and I got a random text from that boss years after leaving. He said something cool walked in, and he thought I would like to see it.

He sent over a front and back of this raw beauty and I was flooded with memories and the instant reaction that he better hold it for me because it was not going to end up in any collection other than mine and my Zack Wheat PC.

I had a ton of store credit with him for work I had done after leaving the shop, and that covered most of what I owed. Less than a c-note out of pocket and this stunner was mine. I eventually sent it to SGC for safety purposes and it will never leave my Wheat or T206 PC.

The all important Red Hindu back is the key here, and she is glorious!!

Sadly, I'm Sure We Will Bomb Mars

Great artwork will probably be the main theme of my collecting journey moving forward, at least for the foreseeable future. Be it sketch cards or non-sport vintage, seeing beautiful art makes this completely non-artistic person a happy camper.

Card number 47 in the 1962 Mars Attacks set enters the PC after an eBay win. The acquisition of "Earth Bombs Mars" puts me at 27 out of 55, or 49%. It's been a slow but fun process of snatching these up and I look forward to the long set build ahead as I tick away at my remaining needs.

(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: A Second Wm. Paterson Rarity Because Why Not....

I posted 2.5 years ago on an exceedingly rare Zack Wheat card I came across and had to snatch up. I had never heard of the set before....let alone been aware of Wheat's existence within it. That purchase led me to start selling stuff and condensing my collection, so it was a huge win overall. But as us collectors know all too well, when something like this pops up, another copy is right around the corner to taunt us and make us laugh at how hard we went after the first one.

You all know the ending to this story and that it finishes with me now owning two copies of Zack's 1922 Wm. Paterson card! The set is Canadian in origin and William Paterson was a candy company. They also put out a really dope set filled with some great names beyond my guy Zack (Ruth, Cobb, Hornsby, Speaker, Walter Johnson, Sisler, Eddie Collins, and a few other HOFers).

I did have to buy the card raw from a seller I truly loathe, but to own something so rare I was willing to make an exception. I sent it to SGC and love having a backup/trade piece on a beauty like this! My Wheat PC remains a collecting love that will always be there.

Jackie Robinson Day with a Beautiful 1950 Sporting News Dope Book Baseball Guide Full Page Piece

Jackie Robinson Day is upon us once again. I feel so many currently don't support what Jackie stood for and will root for athletes from other places while simultaneously shitting on those that are different. With that in mind, I will celebrate this day every year (and not just on April 15th).

I snagged this very frameable and displayable piece from eBay over two years ago, and for less than $14 shipped to my doorstep. Give me every playing days Jackie item possible, and more than one of each wouldn't be so bad come to think of it.

Tehran Is Ours. Stop.

Here is the final sketch card I snagged from one seller in my recent Archer binge. It is easily the most expensive of the quartet but it's also obviously the best of the bunch. It was also 20% off which always helps to dull the monetary pain.

Ashleigh Popplewell makes her second appearance in my collection and both are multi-character horizontal masterpieces that I absolutely adore. Woodhouse is reading Sterling a telegram from his mother which explains why she is away at the holidays. Part of that telegram has ties to today as Malory describes to her son how she participated in the 1953 Iranian coup d'état. With a big difference, of course, being a current orange dipshit. But similarities abound, since the U.S. should not have been involved in either.

Here is the scene in Season 1, Episode 2 that the sketch pays homage to:

"Training Day"

Ty Cobb Bat Off T206 Pickup!!!

I remember the times when I would post almost every day. New pickups were promptly scanned in, written about, and catalogued. Man....those were the days. But life changes, responsibilities change and grow, and sometimes we just lose interest in parts of our lives that meant something. I say all of that because today's HUGE addition was purchased in late 2018/early 2019 and I am just now getting around to showing off one of the biggest cards in my collection.

Tyrus Cobb (Bat Off Shoulder) is in the building! This was purchased at the exact same time as the Bat On Shoulder was acquired with me landing the pair in a package deal from the card shop I was Assistant Manager at for 4.5 years. I remember exactly what I paid for the two Tys and how nice my boss was to hold them for me so I could make it happen. While I have done no research into what they are worth now, I know that if I needed to move them, I'd do plenty well. But thankfully, they are not going anywhere any time soon!

I was instantly attracted to how beautiful this copy was despite the trim, which of course helped to keep it within a range I could handle. The colors are vibrant, all of the important parts of the card are present, and it has a sweet overprint back.

I now proudly own the Bat Off Shoulder, Bat On Shoulder, and Red Portrait. The Green Portrait is by far the toughest and most expensive to buy, but hopefully one day it will become part of my T206 PC!

(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: 1914 B18 Felt Blankets SGC Auth -- GREEN INFIELD

I'm back for another Wheat Wednesday and it's the sassy sister post to last week's offering. Joining that Blue Infield from the 1914 B18 Felt Blankets set is this Green Infield, also slabbed Authentic by SGC.

The Green has definitely seen a little more action than the Blue, but that just means someone enjoyed it 100 years ago. The stain, the creasing, the potential trim -- none of that matters to me in the end.

There are Red Infield variants, and they are the rarest and most expensive. Whether Zack has a Red version is an entirely different question, but if it exists, I hope to one day secure it and complete the trifecta.

Kris Justice Is a Ghost, But Their Archer Goodness Will Live On Through Me

One of the running themes of this recent Archer purchase of sketches is that it has presented my collection and I with the second or third card from multiple artists. 9 years ago I posted my first sketch and 2.5 years ago yielded my second for this particular creative mind. Number three is a most welcome sight.

Kris Justice is the artist for today's sweet piece of cardboard and I can't find anything substantial about Kris online. No Instagram, no Facebook, no personal website -- just a deactivated Deviant Art page. I may one day ask if Cryptozoic can put me in touch but until then I am just happy to have another piece of Justice's work in my Archer Collection. In writing this, I juuuust found an eBay account I believe to be theirs so I will be going that route shortly. Wish me luck!

(Zack) Wheat Wednesday: 1914 B18 Felt Blankets SGC Auth -- BLUE INFIELD

I have plenty of pickups from the last few years to still get through, so we will start in on that with some oddball and oversized vintage from pre-WW1. The 1914 B18 Felt Blankets set is a fun and weird issue with a slew of big Hall of Famers in it. Thankfully, Zack Wheat is one of those HOFers.

The vibrant colors, the baseball equipment surrounding the player, and the simple full-body image makes this a winning set in my mind. It looks fantastic in the SGC tuxedo and the Blue Infield on this variation is a nice team color match touch.

Here's the back. Now to just store this monster....