A Corey Seager 1/1 Printing Plate-Auto Completes Another Pentafecta.

I recently acquired a stunningly gorgeous card that jumps to the top of the mountain that is my Corey Seager Collection. I knew I had to lock down this beaut when it popped up on eBay and thankfully my winning bid was far less than what I anticipated the card selling for. Adding to my Seager Trifecta was also free as I had some focus group money left to play and pay with.

This is the final piece I was in need of to complete my latest Pentafecta. It's a phenomenal Yellow 1/1 Printing Plate-Auto from 2012 Leaf Ultimate Draft. If you're unfamiliar with my creation or need a refresher course, a Pentafecta consists of a 1/1, an auto, a patch, a non-patch relic of any kind, and a rookie card.

The auto portion of our show. This Bowman Chrome auto is a biggie for my PC and took a while to land, but the wait was worth it to get my hands on Corey's first certified signature in which he's actually in a Dodgers' uniform.

A sick two-color patch /99 with some jersey tossed in for good measure. There is just so, so much to love about this card.

#MERICA. A sweeeeeet blue parallel relic of the youngster numbered 148/199. It was a hidden gem within my collection when I discovered I had it, and it serves as the first piece of Seager cardboard to call my collection home. The USA jersey swatch has a nice seam to it as well.

Finally, a simple pre-Dodgers RC featuring Corey donning the red, white, and blue. It's a Gold-bordered parallel and is just all kinds of awesome. This Seager Pentafecta is my sixth overall and fourth baseball project to reach completion.

Trade With Cardboard Heaven: A Zack Greinke Royal Trifecta and Matt Kemp Goes Out of Bounds.

I completed my sixth trade with Cam of Cardboard Heaven fame. You can check out the first here, second here, third here, fourth here, and fifth here. Cam was in possession of a Matt Kemp card I wanted to get my hands on, and as time went along we expanded the deal into another epic trade.

Let's start with something my collection was lacking: a Zack Greinke autograph. It hails from 2007 Fleer Ultra "Ultra Graphs" and is numbered 120/199. Whenever he gets himself a Dodgers' signature or two, I'll be looking to add one, but for now one of him as a Royal will work just fine.

The original card that started our trade talks. It's the phenomenal "Out Of Bounds" SP of The Bison from 2013 Topps and I'm really happy I didn't buy one from eBay to placate my desire to acquire it. What a shot of Matty.

A Greinke Gold RC to go with my new John Hancock. I already have the regular base chrome version of this 2002 Bowman rookie (acquired from Dennis) so I was happy to land this parallel version.

Why not complete the entire Trifecta in one deal? Cam sent a relic of ZG from '11 Topps Heritage. There won't be a huge effort to complete the Pentafecta, though.

A HanRam RC from his BoSox days. Injured again....2013 is the year of injuries in all forms of baseball.

3 more new Mattycakes. That brings my total to just over 230 unique Kemp cards.

Finally, some randomness. I LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about the white Duke Gypsy Queen card. So awesomely amazing.

Thanks for another stellar deal Cam!

Once You Go Black....

I admit it. I love black.

I just can't get enough of black refractors, especially when the cardboard in question is the "true rookie card" of one of my main guys, Russell Martin. I already own the base version from 2005 Topps Update and now possess a significantly more fantastic variation, numbered 033/250. So much shiny blue, so appropriate.

The card did not arrive in my mailbox alone, however. The base and black refractor chrome are now joined in a Trifecta of Awesomeness by the regular chrome version. What could possibly be better than two new chrome-y Russ Rookies?

How about a third? From 2005 Bowman Chrome comes card number 224 in that set. 240 is also a vital number, as that is my new total of unique Russ cards. I picked up a fourth rookie in the lot, but it was a dupe. A dupe I'm happy to have, but a dupe nevertheless.

An Awesome Kevin Love Auto Completes My Mr. Double-Double Trifecta.

Kevin Love is one of my favorite basketball players. His skill set, UCLA roots, and the fact that he was a really nice guy when I met him a couple of years ago all add up to a collection of one of the game's elite. I've wanted his signature for some time and I was finally able to knock that card off of my Bucket List for just $13.50.

I still want to track down a John Hancock of Love in his UCLA gear (Press Pass is my target considering it'll be on-card) but for now this will more than suffice. The rest of my Trifecta - as well as my in-person Love 8x10 - can be viewed below.

The colorful relics, each numbered out of 99.

The '08-'09 Bowman Blue RC /499.

And finally, the sweeeeeet signed 8x10.

My First Two Corey Seager Autos

I've finally completed a Trifecta for Corey Seager, the Dodgers' first round pick in the 2012 Draft. I was happy when Ned Colletti and his staff made the decision to draft the shortstop/third baseman - see, I don't always hate on Uncle Ned - and I've begun a thus far modest collection of the young Blue Crew member.

Though Seager finally has a couple of Dodgers' autos, they've been beyond what I'm willing to pay, so for now I'm left with unlicensed signatures, which I have no problem with. The first I acquired is the above auto from 2012 Leaf Valiant. On-card easily cancels out any unlicensed negatives, though again, I love minor league autos and unlicensed stuff to begin with.

My other Seager John Hancock is this sweet 2012 Leaf Metal Draft base sig. Again, you can't beat the on-card aspect. The pair ran me less than half a blaster. I'll definitely pick up his first certified and official rookie autos at some point, but the prices need to drop before that can happen.

 
The rest of the Trifecta can be seen above and below this sentence.

Trade With Nomo's Sushi Platter: Cleaning Out A Former Ryan Braun Collector. (150th Trade!)

I completed my sixth trade with Spiegel of Nomo's Sushi Platter. You can check out the first here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, and the fifth here. This is the first trade I've completed in-person, as Mike and I met up at his LCS, Valley Sports Cards, to swap cards and exchange witty banter. It also allowed me to give Mike his Card Draft spoils. As the title alludes to, Spiegel formerly collected Braun, but ended that collection with Braun's positive test. With this generation's Hebrew Hammer not facing a suspension, but questions still surrounding the situation, Spiegel's suspicions of Braun's PED use remain.

That being said, I don't care one way or the other. It would be great if Braun were clean and nobody cheated, but guys have cheated since the dawn of time. Gaylord Perry threw a spitball and Mike Schmidt used greenies and, while admitting to doing so, claimed just about everyone else in his era did as well (a link worth checking out, and that's considering a terrible writer and all-around fool in Murray Chass wrote the article). That doesn't make it right or behavior to copy, but I don't mind continuing a collection, even amidst questions and doubts.

I don't buy that PEDs improve your performance, just that they help you heal from injury, from what I've heard and read. Its a non-issue for me, because Braun's a great player period. Not the MVP mind you, regardless of testing positive or not, but a great player. So I was more than happy to take some new Brauns off of Mike's hands and give him cards that fit better into his collection and don't make him sick to his stomach.

A great overview of the entire Braun situation, with a particular emphasis on the aftermath of the arbitrator's decision, can be found over at ChadMoriyama.com, the blog that houses the majority of my analytical work (when I pen analytical work) and the wonderful writing of my boss, Chad Moriyama.

These were the four major gets for me, and it all centered around the 2005 Topps Update Gold RC, #'d 1958/2005, above. I had no idea Mike had the Diamond Die-Cut, so that pleasant surprise put a smile on my face, as Topps really hit it out of the park with those. It's my second from that sweet set, as I picked up the Kershaw DDC a while back.

Spiegel handed over much, much more than the above four, including some PC items pictured above. A new Kershaw (in sticker form), a sweet Fleer Cole Hamels RC, and a Danny Espinosa Chrome RC, which completes a Trifecta for the former Long Beach State Dirtbag. The entire Espinosa Trifecta is below.

In terms of Brauns, there were base cards, inserts, parallels, rookies, serial-numbered cards, die-cuts, and even a couple of minis, most of which can be seen below.

Thanks for another fantastic trade Spiegel! Oh, and number 150 is in the books! Damn, that's a boatload of deals.

An Adrian Beltre Autograph Yields A Trifecta.

After examining my collection, I realized I was missing a few cards that would really be great additions. One of those was an autograph of the second best third baseman - and best man defensively at the hot corner - in franchise history, Adrian Beltre. After a few misses on eBay, I was able to land the sweet signature below.

On-card! Always an appreciated touch. I scored the Beltre for $7.01 shipped, and after it arrived, it hit me that this pickup served to complete my latest Trifecta.

The above bat relic was an LCS pickup from their eBay store, and is hand-numbered 4/4. I really love some of the old Fleer releases, and what an appropriate name for a set featuring bat pieces: Lumberjacks.

The above rookie was acquired in a trade with Night Owl some time ago. The effect the chrome has in making Adrian seemingly pop off of the card itself....awesome.

Another Trifecta in the books, and one I wasn't even attempting to put in said books. I think that makes it a bit sweeter and a tad more enjoyable.

Putting Together A Gary Carter Trifecta.

The recent passing of Gary Carter alerted me to a fact I'm ashamed to say I did not previously know: Carter was born in my hometown, where I've grown up and spent my entire life. I knew he was a Dodger, though I don't remember his days in Los Angeles (seeing as I was three in 1991, his only season in Dodger blue), but not knowing he's a Culver City native is just shameful beyond belief. I also discovered he had committed to play football at UCLA before signing with the Expos and forgoing college. So, with this newfound knowledge, I've decided to put together a Carter Trifecta in remembrance of the Hall of Famer. Carter has also been added to the "Who I Collect" tab at the top of the blog.

I'm a third of the way there, as I scored this relic at my LCS some time ago for a dollar or two. It's actually been offered up in a trade or two previously, and nobody bit, which I'm happy about now, obviously. The full pinstripe from his Mets days is sweet. Now to track down an autograph and his rookie. I'm in no hurry to complete this Trifecta, especially considering the spike in prices for Carter cards with his passing.

R.I.P. Gary Carter, a great, great catcher, a wonderful person from what I've read, and one of the most successful people to ever come out of the tremendous city that is Culver City.

My Chase Utley Trifecta Should Feature Him In A Dodger Uniform

I may have once upon a time mentioned achieving this Trifecta, but after scanning most of my Utley Collection so it could be pictured with the rest of my UCLA PC, I decided to highlight this Trifecta I completed months and months ago with a post of its own.

As I must painfully mention each time I acquire a new Utley hit, Chase not only attended my Alma mater of UCLA, but was also a Dodger draft pick. In the middle of writing this post, I stumbled upon the fact that Chase was a History major during his time as a Bruin, which makes me like the guy even more than I already do. Drafted in the second round of the 1997 draft by Los Angeles out of a Long Beach high school, Utley decided to forgo signing and instead ply his craft in Westwood.

Utley was once again selected in the 2000 amateur draft after a tremendous junior year and a stellar three years at UCLA overall, only this time around he was nabbed in the first round and signed with the Phillies. What followed, of course, has been a Hall of Fame career as one of the premier second baseman in baseball history with both the bat and the glove.

Oh, what could have been....

A Question For Everyone: I'd Like To Propose A Pentafecta? (Russell Martin Sick Patch Edition)

That's really more of a statement, I know. A recent acquisition has raised a question in my mind, and I felt there was no better way to answer that question than to seek advice and input from all of you. We are all familiar with a Trifecta, the possession of a player's rookie card, a relic of said player, and that player's John Hancock. I'm not entirely sure who started the phenomena, but I've seen Drew from DrewsCards' name attached to many a Trifecta origin post, and Night Owl once displayed his Dodger Trifectas. While I love a good Trifecta, I've felt for some time that the idea could sustain an interesting update. So, I give you my crazy idea of a Pentafecta.

You begin with the traditional Trifecta, and then add the final two layers: a patch and a 1/1. The 1/1 could be any 1/1, though I personally would strive for a printing plate. The above Russell Martin patch - #'d 02/25 - was a sweet eBay score for $5 delivered (the seller also happened to send it in a magnetic, so that was a nice bonus as well). I already owned a couple of cards that could be classified as patches before landing this gorgeous wonder, but they are the type of patches which force you to strain your eyes to see that they are in fact patches.

Anyhoo, I'm much more comfortable now stating firmly that I have completed my Martin Pentafecta. Hence why I'm bringing up the Pentafecta Postulate. Anyways, the last four prongs of the Pentafecta are below. Oh, I do still need to figure out exactly where this Russ patch comes from....

We'll start off with the earliest card, Russ' true rookie card. A simple card, and a nice shot of the former Dodger backstop. It actually took me a pretty decent amount of time to land this.

Next up, one of my many Martin relics. I was stuck between a handful when deciding which to display, but in the end, how could I not feature a sick dual relic with Mike F'in Piazza?

The autograph is the next leg in this trek up Pentafecta Mountain. Again, there were a number I wanted to feature, but I ended up going with my 2007 Ginter auto because Ginter is Ginter, and I love A&G. But damn, I really wanted to show off my Masterpieces Martin signature as well. On-card baby!

And finally, the old 1/1, and as previously mentioned, a printing plate is my choice whenever possible. Topps Finest is a set I really enjoy, and I love this Yellow Finest Plate.

So, now that I've run down my first Pentafecta, what does anyone who has made it this far think? Am I insane, does the idea seem interesting, or is it some combination of both? Would you ever consider putting together a Pentafecta of your favorite player or players?

I've added a "Pentafecta" tab to the top of the blog. My (obvious) next two targets are Kemp and Kershaw. I would say the Kemp is complete, but the patch portion is one that could be argued by some. I am in serious need of a Kershaw patch, that much is indisputable. The Martin patch has been added to my Russell Collection.

Trade With Cardboard Heaven: ElyMania Lost Its Mojo, But The Beast and The Burner Are Still Trucking

Today, we're taking a trip to a far away place, up high above the clouds, in Cardboard Heaven. I've made stops there before, beginning way back with my first trade and ending with my one hundredth trade. There was even a stop in-between. For our fourth trade, Cam sent me some really great stuff. We'll start off with one of my favorite non-Chargers, Patrick Willis.

Numbered 52/75 - that would be Willis' number (!) - it's my second hit of the elite linebacker. The man is a beast. I truly wish he was in San Diego. A Willis UD Masterpieces on-card auto is a card I'm dying to get my hands on. Oh, and the design of this colorful-swatched hit is just nails. Nails.

Next up, a sweet and shiny 2004 Topps Finest RC of former Charger's running back Michael Turner.

Completing a Trifecta of sorts for this trade, an on-card and chrome-y John Ely RC autograph, which marks my second Ely certified signature.

The last scanned card is this awesome Mojo Drew rookie. We could all use a little Mojo in our lives. And UCLA could use some talent like Drew to dig the football program out of its mediocre to the core grave. Particularly at the QB position; Kevin Prince is so anonymous, I had no idea he was in a class of mine until the end of the quarter when my Professor mentioned it to me.

Cam also knocked off some of my remaining 2011 Allen & Ginter needs, contributing a Hometown Hero, three base cards, and a SP to my efforts. He also sent along a sweet '11 Ginter Back mini of Jered Weaver and a handful of assorted Dodgers.

Thanks as always for another great trade Cameron!