An Eclectic COMC Order

Here are three more cards from my first ever COMC purchase. The first portion of that purchase can be found here. These three pieces of cardboard are of the higher-end variety although they're not really all that high-end.

I love Heritage autos as you can't beat the combination of a vintage look with an on-card signature. When I stumbled upon this I knew I wanted it. I believe I made an offer on the card rather than buying it outright. Either way, $6.50 worth of COMC credit earned from challenges netted me my latest Bison PC pickup.

Another in the category of "I just can't resist" is the above Ruby Auto -- numbered 09/50 -- out of 2010-11 Dominion of my main man Ryan Getzlaf. I adore the inaugural release of Dominion and anything Getzlaf from the product is always a target. This is my 10th Ruby Parallel Auto of The Captain (20% of the print-run just sounds better).

And now for something entirely different: a beautiful VG 1956 Topps Gray Back Johnny Podres. I don't even recall why I was looking at this card the night I nabbed it for three bucks, but I do like Brooklyn cardboard and Podres is a guy every Dodgers' fan needs in his or her collection. It's one of my three favorite Johnny cards I own, along with his 1957 Topps and 1952 Parkhurst Frostade offerings.

1952 Parkhurst Frostade: Johnny Podres' First Card! I'm Calling It A RC, Dammit!

I'm exceptionally excited to showcase this pickup today as I had no idea this set even existed before stumbling upon it late one night. I was browsing a vintage card website looking for oddball food releases from the '50s and '60s when I came across the 1952 Parkhurst Frostade set. A bit of research revealed Frostade to be a Canadian competitor to Kool-Aid, and the checklist was rife with future Dodgers.

There were only a handful of copies on eBay within a price range I was comfortable with but one stood out above the rest and I was determined to land it: the above Johnny Podres, slabbed an SGC 10. The seller had it listed for a reasonable BIN with a Best Offer option so I submitted what I thought was a fair enough offer. It was quickly accepted and for $14 delivered I landed what is essentially Podres' rookie, although technically it's a pre-rookie to his 1953 Topps offering.

Podres is pictured in a stoic portrait shot looking off into the distance. He was a member of the Montreal Royals in 1952, then the Dodgers' AAA affiliate. The set features only three teams and they're all Canadian, as you might imagine: the Montreal Royals, Toronto Maples Leafs, and Ottawa Athletics.

Prominent future Dodgers include Podres, Walter Alston, Tommy Lasorda, and Jim Gilliam. I'd love to nab the Gilliam one day, even more so than the Alston or Tommy. Putting together the Montreal Royals team set is....tempting.

The backs are really cool although it might be difficult to tell in Johnny's plastic tomb. All of the writing is in red and kids are clearly encouraged to send in 25 cents and the "front panel from 2 packages of FROSTADE" in order to receive a "smart new plastic six-shooter!".

My favourite part of the back -- and I absolutely adore everything about it -- is that it lists Podres' 1951 team which I previously did not know existed. I didn't even know the league the team played in existed. For the '51 campaign Johnny pitched in the Mountain States League for the Hazard Bombers of Hazard, Kentucky.

Baseball Reference also lists the Newport News Dodgers of the Piedmont League as a stop for John in '51. God I love the internet.

Trade With Coot Veal and the Vealtones: Vintage Dodgers Are The Best.

I completed my second trade with Dustin from Coot Veal and the Vealtones. Dustin contacted me about some Dodgers' bait he had and after a handful of e-mails we had worked out a deal complete with both new and old cardboard.

Vintage! Vintage first, because of course vintage first. This '57 Podres immediately caught my eye from a trade bait post Dustin put up and I just had to have it. That Brooklyn B had a lot to do with my desire to acquire.

Floating heads! Would you believe it wasn't Wally Moon that attracted me to this 1962 Topps Leaders card? Mr. Clemente has a strong and growing hold on me.

We round out the vintage portion of this trade post with a well-loved 1952 Bowman of Carl Furillo. It pairs nicely with the well-loved '52 Bowman Campanella I have.

Moving on to more recent cardboard we start with a triple relic of Don Drysdale. It's a bit creased but I'm not passing on game-used Drysdale cards. It's #'d 42/99.

I was able to add many a new Matt Kemp card, starting with this manufactured coin thing from 2013. It's also numbered, 47/99 to be exact. It's....heavy.

The rest of the Kemp pickups plus 5 new Clayton Kershaw cards for my Kid K PC. I'm closing in on 400 unique Bison cards and should be there by the end of 2015.

Dustin also added a pair of new Russell Martin cards along with a pair of much appreciated and needed Allen & Ginter inserts and a relic I sent to Stupienski.

Thanks for a wonderful trade Dustin!

Koufax, Campy, Drysdale and More!

I picked up a team card with some fantastic names on it. Koufax, Campanella, Drysdale, Snider, Reese, Newcombe, Podres....the way a team card should be.

It'll fit splendidly in my Campy Collection, and was had for $5.50 delivered. The coolest thing about this vintage bad boy is that it's from the Dodgers' first year in L.A., which also means it features the last Blue Crew squad to call Brooklyn home.

Whomever previously owned this 1958 Dodgers' team card/checklist made use of said checklist to the fullest.

Making Night Owl Jealous.

Well, I think he might be envious. He may also own the card, and thus be able to laugh in my face. From across the country. And the internet. Such is the risk I am willing to take.

I snagged this 1961 Bell Brand Potato Chips card of Johnny Podres from the eBay store of my now-defunct LCS for just $1.04, with free shipping. My LCS's owner was even kind enough to drop it off at my house. I don't actively collect Podres, per se, but I do enjoy picking up cards of his every now and then, especially when the price is so purchase-friendly. This salty treat will find a nice home in my collection. There's so much blue, and the neighborhood park atmosphere is tremendous.

The back has the really sweet Bell Brand logo, and also mentions night games and a pair of nighttime doubleheaders the Dodgers were scheduled to play in 1961. The Podres is just dripping in vintage-y goodness. As is the Jim Gilliam that I may or may not have also acquired at a price that may or may not have been a buck and four pennies. Fellow Greg, it could be yours, perhaps.

Assuming I did in fact pick it up with the Johnny.

The Night I Killed It, With Old-School Vintage Flavor.

It all started with a single piece of vintage goodness, at a very reasonable price. It was a card I had never thought much about, but after stumbling upon it, I needed it. Not just wanted it, but needed it. It features one of the greatest players of all-time, from one of my favorite vintage sets, and was less than half of what a blaster of Heritage or Ginter runs you. It was an easy buy, but it lead to so much more.

That one measly crease - which does not obscure Hank's face one bit - helped me to net this beauty for the price I was able to land it at. That's character for you folks; it drives prices down so you and I can benefit and reap the rewards and fruits of our tireless labor with day after day of eBay searches for wonderful deals. The card has retained it's fantastic color, and again, Hank is fine. There's just something about this card that speaks to me. Twice the Hank, a great array of colors, and an entirely insensitive old Braves logo just work so well together. $9.50 shipped. Killer.

I always try and check to see if the seller has anything else that might interest me, be it a PC item, minor PC item, tertiary PC item (damn, I collect too many players), or simply a trade bait possibility. These potential pickups are contingent upon the seller offering up a nice rate on combined shipping. This seller most certainly did not disappoint, with a can't-miss offer of 25 cents for any additional card purchased that same day. And he had about 19+ pages of items ending within minutes. I had outstanding trades to complete, so I did what any diligent eBayer does: I went to work.

First up are a couple of cards I'll be keeping. The Don Newcombe is just an amazing card, and that's considering he is not in Dodger Blue. It does appear he had a smoking problem, what with that hole in his neck

I have few Johnny Podres cards - I think this makes five in total - so I'm happy to add another. I like 1960 Topps, if that isn't clear. Probably because it's such a colorful set.

A pair of Pirates that have made their way to the Treasure Room, as part of a large deal that has a sweeeeeet Johnny Bench hit coming my way.

A pair of Senators that wound up in Texas with the man who enjoys himself a good play at home. Another Brian, another trade that needed finalizing.

Finally, five more '60 Topps that I was too lazy to scan separately. I recognized four names and know the Phillies are a highly-collected team, so the Mahaffey was picked up too. It's also a RC, which never hurts. The Phillies have a home coming to them shortly.

To recap, that's 12 cards dated no more recent than 1962, and for $21.84 when the dust had settled. A 1960 Hammerin' Hank Aaron cost me a puny $1.82 when you break everything down. What a night, and all made possible because the class I should have been in at the time was cancelled due to my Professor's place of residence flooding. The only problem with this transaction was being charged over five bucks shipping and finding the cards shipped in a PWE.

The seller was made aware of this fact.

Trade With TheLostCardsFile: What Do Clayton Kershaw and Johnny Podres Have In Common?

I completed my first trade with Nicholas from TheLostCardsFile. Nicholas is new to the blogging community, so head on over and add him to your blogrolls, as he's already shown off some really terrific pulls and other creative hobby-related ideas. Moving on to our first trade. I spotted a card that interested me, and while Nicholas decided to hold on to that, we were able to work out a great deal for the below cards. You can see what I sent him here.

KKKKKKKKKershaw! A sweet 2010 Topps Tribute auto/relic of the dy-no-mite young lefty, and it's numbered 95/99. This marks Kid K signature number eighteen in my PC - my second base auto/relic from '10 Tribute - and was without a doubt the highlight of the deal. That wasn't all I received, however.

My second Johnny Podres autograph is the awesome 2010 Topps T-206 American Caramels Back autograph above. Always happy to add a nice hit of the 1955 World Series hero!

Nicholas also sent along an Andre Ethier Marquee base card, as well as a pair of hits I already have, but am very happy to receive nevertheless. The Kershaw Heritage jersey swatch will serve as an upgrade to the one I already own, which arrived long ago from eBay with a slightly dinged corner. The Lindblom is available for any of my Dodgers brethren: DodgerBobble, Owl of The Night, Spiegel. A fight to the death appears to be the only way to solve this! Or, whichever one of you is interested. The former would be more entertaining though. DB, this could be one of a bajillion cards in exchange for that high-end hit you're semi-contemplating dealing, or towards that Lob City Kia auto. And by bajillion, I truly mean bajillion.

Thanks for the fantastic, fantastic trade Nicholas! I look forward to many more, and welcome to the community!

A 1959 Podres and A Piazza In Monetary Fashion

A couple of really cheap pickups today. First up, how could I resist a dirt-cheap '50s card of a Dodger World Series hero? I couldn't, that's how.

This well-loved vintage piece of cardboard goodness cost a whopping two bucks with free shipping. Rounded and frayed corners, scratches, and the always excellent 1959 design make for a troika of great attributes, if I do say so myself. Also, it's Johnny Podres. Good stuff all-around.

Next up, for 99 cents - once again with free shipping - comes this Mike Piazza 1997 Pinnacle Coin.

There's also a gold-plated version which is much rarer and far more valuable, as in it books for fifty bucks. Nevertheless, this bronze version makes for a fun addition to my Piazza collection, and in the end, that's all that I really care about.

A Pair Off Of My Most Wanted List

Three bucks for the Podres, and one dollar for the Santana RC (won the auction for one cent, 99 cents to ship it my way). My Most Wanted List gets a face-lift.

From Koufax To Konerko To Kemp

$3.75

Played his entire career with the Dodgers before retiring at just 30 due to injury.

Traded at just 22-years-old for Jeff Shaw? Yeah. That happened. But James Loney gets every damn chance in the world.

On a side/related note, I want every card of Konerko in a Dodger uniform, particularly if he's shown in catching gear. I think I have two or three now.

Just 26 years old. Better get a long-term contract, as of like yesterday. DO IT Ned Colletti. You'll still be a horrible General Manager, but we won't riot like Vancouver and kill you.

Trade With "é rayhahn, rayhahn": Hong-Chih Kuo, Chad Billingsley, Mike Piazza, and Clayton Kershaw

Another trade, compliments of "Rhubarb_Runner" from “é rayhahn, rayhahn”. I passed along a bunch of Twins stuff, including a 2010 Allen & Ginter Joe Mauer Cabinet Card, from the only box of A&G which I've purchased. I'll post on that box at some point. The cabinet card can be seen at the bottom of this post.

"Rhubarb_Runner" sent me a bunch of cool Dodgers stuff, plus a few cards from my favorite non-Dodgers.

The big draw:

My first Kuo Game Used or Auto

Chad Billingsley 2006 Fleer Tradition Rookie Card

Clayton Kershaw 2008 Topps Updates and Highlights Rookie Card

A couple of nice Mike Piazza cards. The second one just makes me laugh.

Business in the front. Party in the back.

I don't know what this is. But I like it.

These are from 1993, produced by Upper Deck. I've never come across these 

before, and was pleasantly surprised to find them in David's bubble mailer. I like

them a lot. The Brooklyn Dodgers photo of Carl Erskine and the old school photo

of Johnny Podres in the middle, the mini cards on the sides of the photos.
Very cool.

"Rhubarb_Runner" was also kind enough to include a couple of David Wright cards, a nice Cole Hamels card, a James Loney card, and a 1989 Topps Jesse Orosco card, which helps me in my attempt to put that set of my early, early, early youth together.

The Mauer Cabinet Card:

Thanks again "Rhubarb_Runner", hope you enjoy the cards that are on their way as I type. I look forward to many future trades.

Johnny Podres Autographed Card

It's from 2008, Topps Stadium Club Beam Team.

I picked it up at my local shop, good price and I had been eyeing it for weeks on end before finally taking the plunge.