Collecting Cutch & My 1st SuperFractor!

A while back I got a really great bubbler full of cardboard from Brian, formerly of Pirates Treasure Room and now the proprietor of Collecting Cutch. He sent a ton of great stuff and I've highlighted my favorites below.

My first SuperFractor! This beaut is the Super for Russell's 2009 Bowman Chrome offering, which just so happens to be one of the best Russ cards out there in terms of the photo they chose. Play At The Plate would be proud. Here's the full shot of that play between Martin and Nyjer Morgan, commemorated on Russ' 2009 regular Bowman card and seen on this 1/1 Black Plate I picked up eons ago. I might get this graded just for giggles.

Gorgeous! This sweet logo patch-auto, numbered 3/5, hails from 2011 Topps Marquee and the Acclaimed Impressions subset. I'm always thrilled to add a high-end Bison John Hancock to the collection. If it also brings with it a sweet piece of the "Los Angeles" from a Blue Crew uniform, it's icing on the already sweet cake.

Here's a triple auto, numbered 19/25, out of the sticker dumpster fire that was 2012 UD SP Signature Edition. It also features Andrew McCutchen and Shane Victorino; I don't think I'd ever use the word "superstar" to describe Victorino. Really good to great for stretches, yes. But superstar, nope.

Three more new additions to the Mattycakes' PC.

Brian added a cool 10 cards to my Kid K PC. The above jumbo is my favorite.

The Sega CardGen with the old-school Brooklyn throwback is just nails.

ManBearSeag! I dig the 1967 Topps set so the Heritage is right up my alley.

Vintage Koufax! There is literally little better. Drysdale came along for the ride too!

A Gerrit Cole auto appeared. (Go Bruins!)

As did a cool Gil Hodges numbered out of 99.

And some miscellaneous Koufax cards, with the silver GQ mini #'d /199.

A pair of less super-fractor-y Russ cards. That Martin Konami Mini is awesome.

And finally, a lot of random goodness. Look, that famous Campy pose again.

Red-themed Kenley and Duke Gypsy mini are the highlights.

An endless amount of thanks Brian!

Starting A Johnny Bench PC: 1971 Topps!

I've decided to begin one more vintage player collection. It's partly because my Rosen and Campy PCs are winding down to the hard and expensive stuff while my Wheat PC can only grow so fast considering it's all pre-war stuff I need. In addition, I really like the player I'm now collecting and his cardboard is aesthetically-pleasing. So, to start off this new collection I picked up this beaut:

1971 Topps, number 250, EX to EX-MT and a steal on eBay: hello Mr. Johnny Bench! I've been a Bench fan for some time and that's fitting considering I tend to gravitate towards a number of catchers (Piazza, Russ Martin, Carlos Santana, A.J. Ellis). '71s are always tricky with that chippy black border but I was able to nab this gorgeous copy for about a third of what we sell it for at work in the same condition. I simply could not pass that up.

For this PC I'll only be targeting his 60s and 70s cards. There will probably be an oddball or two that finds its way into my hands but I have no desire for his 1980s cardboard. I'll need an auto to go along with the fantastic triple relic I traded for back in 2012 (so I guess technically that was the start of my Johnny collection).

Trade With Chavez Ravining: Parks and Recreation, Bisons and Kershaws and Puigs, Plus Steve Nash!

I completed my second trade with my buddy Alex from Chavez Ravining. I met Alex for the first time at the Campanella-Reese Bobblehead game, and we chatted about cards and baseball for a few innings. It's nice to put a face to online interactions.

I've never been particularly particular when it comes to the autographs I pick up in my quest to complete a Master Set of 2013 Press Pass Parks and Recreation. There are 13 John Hancocks to acquire, and as long as I have one of each I'm a happy man. It could be a parallel auto, have different color ink, or have other features that would differentiate it from the others, and I wouldn't care. The above Megan Mullally signature leaves me just three shy of completing the auto subset.

Alex could have sent me just the Mullally auto and that would have been sufficient. But in typical Chavez Ravining fashion, he sent a huge bubbler full of cardboard goodness. I was surprised to find this Chrome Black Refractor Bison, numbered 003/100, and man does my newest Mattycakes' card ever scan in magnificently.

Next up, some brand new additions to my Kemp, Kershaw, and Martin PCs. I came to find I pretty much had no base or inserts of any of these three gentlemen from 2014 releases. Alex quickly helped to rectify that.

#ManBearPuig checks in next as Alex sent along four new Yasiels for my modest PC of the Cuban star. One day I will own his signature.

Alex sent a boatload of cards so rather than scanning in everything I chose to pick nine of my favorites and go that route. Man, those are some beautiful pieces of cardboard. The Santana has 2014 Card of The Year potential just oozing from it.

I did not expect to find a jumbo relic of Steve Nash from his Lakers' days. It hails from Panini Crusade and the colorful swatch is a sweet bonus. Nash will always be in my top 5 all-time of NBAers and his auto -- picturing him as a member of the Phoenix Suns and preferably on-card -- is on my short-list of must-own cards.

Alex knows I have an affinity for 1/1 Archer Sketch cards, so he decided to create an original sketch card of his own. It's a 1/1 and signed on the back by the man himself. I quite dig it.

Alex also knocked off a needed Allen & Ginter card -- 2013 Nelson Mandela, Peacemakers -- from my still lengthy A&G Want List, which dates back to 2011.

Thanks, as always, for another fantastic trade Alex!

Chavez Ravining Sends Some Red, White, Blue, and Black Contest Winnings.

I came in second place in a contest recently over at Chavez Ravining. There were three cards available and once the winner selected I made my choice and took home the below and very #MERICA triple relic, #'d 231/240.

Christian Pelaez is an 18-year-old southpaw currently pitching for the LSU Tigers. Alex also sent along a black-bordered Carlos Santana mini from 2012 Allen & Ginter, as well as a third card I picked up with some of my Chavez Code points. That third card will be sent off in a trade in the near future.

Thanks Alex! Looking forward to completing our Parks and Rec themed trade!

More Chavez Ravining Contest Winnings.

I won a second contest over at Chavez Ravining. Alex sent over the relic I won plus a lot of other great stuff. Everyone should check out Alex's blog, as he runs a ton of contests and posts a lot of great material on cards as well as on the Dodgers.

First up, a brand new Russell Martin. One of the reasons why I love collecting Russ is that you simply can't find a bad picture of him on any piece of cardboard, and this offering from 2013 Topps Chrome is further proof of that.

Next up, the actual card Alex was giving away. I'm sure there are enough Royals' fans around that this will find itself a better home at some point in the future.

Finally, some great randomness from a number of my smaller and tertiary player collections. Also included in the bubbler was a much appreciated set need from the What's In A Name? insert set found in 2012 Allen & Ginter.

Thanks for the awesome stuff Alex!

Trade With My Cardboard Mistress: All-Star Kershaw, #MERICA Seager, Gypsy Santana, and Decoded Kemp.

I completed my seventh trade with Adam from My Cardboard Mistress. You can review the first trade here, second here, third here, fourth here, fifth here, and sixth here. Adam pulled a couple cards I was interested in and was kind enough to set them aside for me. They eventually made their way across the country, headlined by a brand new Cy "Clayton" Kershaw.

I love the blue swatch on my newest Kid K hit. Adam sent along a surprise in the below Corey Seager Team USA relic. I'm always excited to add a new #ManBearSeag to my growing PC of the top Blue Crew prospect.

Yes, I still collect Carlos Santana, and I surely always will. Damn you, Ned Colletti.

Finally, a sweet addition to my Bison PC. This is one of my favorite Kemps, as it's just awesomeness all around. And I say that not taking into account the Ginter code aspect, as I could care less about that.

Adam also tossed in a Michael Young card to up the GRIT and CLASS and PLAYS THE GAME THE RIGHT WAY quotient. Well done, sir.

Thanks for another awesome trade Adam! I'll find some cool stuff to send your way!

More Contest Freebies To Say Gracias For: Trout, Piazza, Kate Upton....

Jeff from 2 by 3 Heroes gave away a bunch of cards to close out 2012, and did so in PWE fashion. Each participant and contest winner could select two cards. Jeff tried to bait me into one card, and as the below indicates, it easily worked.

Your real 2012 AL MVP, Mike Trout.

I also selected a Giants' card (yes yes, I know, traitorous). But hey, it's a solidly-booking rookie of one of the best catchers in baseball and 2012's NL MVP, Buster Posey. It was an easy selection as a free card.

Jeff later sent a PWE my way for no reason in particular. My favorite card of the bunch is this sweet A.J. Ellis Blue Parallel (I think?) out of 2012 Topps Update. Topps seems intent on never giving A.J. a card of his own which is both disappointing and humorous simply due to the fact that Ellis will inevitably Tweet about it and make me laugh.

Adam from Arpsmith's Sportscard Obsession holds a weekly contest, and I was lucky enough to win one week a while back. I selected this sweet Gary Sheffield jersey relic as my prize. I'd love to one day acquire a Sheff auto depicting him as a Dodger, if such a card exists. Adam also sent along some Want List cards in the form of 2 cards from my 2004 Fleer Platinum Needs List, a base need from '11 Ginter, and the ultimate base card need from '12 Ginter.

Hello there gorgeous.

I was one of many winners over at ALL TRIBE BASEBALL, and Jack was kind enough to send this Scott Olsen on-card auto as my prize. He also included a Carlos Santana Chrome RC and the last card I needed to complete the Dodgers' 1992 Upper Deck team set. Gracias Jack!

Finally, Wes from Jaybarkerfan's Junk sent over a few unexpected cards in a PWE surprise giveaway, including two of my all-time favorite Blue Crew members, Mike Piazza and Jonathan Broxton. There was also a cool 1978 Topps Terry Forster in the surprise envelope. Thanks as always Wes for your generosity!

Thanks for the contests and cards guys!

Carlos Santana, As A Dodger, On Cardboard. Oy Vey, What Could've Been.

I wish I could go back in time just to stop Ned Colletti from dealing Carlos Santana.

7/26/2008. Never Forget. I'm working on a nice rainbow of Santana's 2008 Bowman Chrome RC. The above XFractor is #'d 208/250 and was had for $6.99 delivered.

Above is a Refractor numbered 430/500.

And last but not least is the simple base card.

Trade With Nomo's Sushi Platter: Two New Kershaws and A Plethora of Random Goodness.

I completed my seventh trade with Spiegel of Nomo's Sushi Platter. You can check out our first here, second here, third here, fourth here, fifth here, and sixth here. Mike sent over some awesome player collection additions, beginning with two new Clayton Kershaws which take my Kid K Kollection beyond 170 unique cards.

Next up, a bunch of new Chase Utleys. A Dodgers' draft pick AND a Bruin. A wonderful combination.

Some Ryan Brauns found their way to me, and I'm happy to take them off of anybody's hands.

Some random additions: a Carlos Santana (thanks Uncle Ned!), an awesome Longoria Mini RC, a Jerry Sands dupe, a fantastic David Wright mini, a pair of Nomos for Arno (as he'll appreciate them more than I ever could), a sweet Kenley Jansen Chrome RC, and random Hamels.

Penultimately, I have no idea what the meaning of this is, but he has a distinctly Jewish name, so I'll go with that. It's numbered 114/206 and is a miiiiinnnniiiiii. Never a bad pairing of cardboard traits.

And finally, I got Ewwwwribe'd. Mike, I thought we were pals?

Thanks for the great cards Spiegel!