A Ron Swanson Parks and Recreation Inscription Autograph: MAPLE. (!)

My collecting has really changed over the last couple of years as I have started to sell off about 90% or so of everything I own. For various reasons I came to the conclusion that condensing my collection into what I really love and want would be the best idea. Frankly, it's long overdue. While I am selling a lot and plucking more every day to list, one thing will always remain a collecting staple: Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson autographs!

The 2013 Press Pass Parks and Recreation set remains an absolute collection centerpiece and love for me, always and forever. Parks is one of my all-time favorite shows and outside of the set not including signatures from Chris Pratt, Adam Scott, and Rashida Jones....it's perfection in cardboard form.

When this Offerman inscription auto popped, I had to make a play for it. Nick only inscribed 29 cards, and with Ron Swanson being so damn popular, they have always commanded a ton of attention. It took me a decade to land one and I will basically snag any going forward within monetary reason. That is, until I get a sugar momma and can buy them all!

I sent it off to SGC as it was cheaper to go with them than keep the consistency of using PSA as I did the first time around. I don't remember a specific reference to maple on the show (I'm old, my brain only works so well) but I assume it's related to Ron's love of woodworking and his belief that maple is a superior type of wood.

Ron Swanson and Crying: Only at Funerals and The Grand Canyon

One of my biggest collecting and television joys of all-time is Parks and Recreation. I came to the show a little late but instantly fell in love and came to the card set right away with the same love. I feverishly put together the Master Set and busted four boxes of the product (oh, I should've bought so much more). My first box remains the best box of anything I have opened as I pulled Nick Offerman and Aubrey Plaza signatures, the two cards I desired more than any other. But I've always been missing something from the set.

At long last, an inscription autograph has found its way to me! For as many signatures as Offerman contributed to the set, only 29 included inscriptions of memorable Ron Swanson quotes. Acquiring one has been a goal since the moment I knew they existed and this card was a definite Holy Grail type of item. They almost never popped up and when they did they were well out of my range.

Patience, as it so often does, pays off. I did not particularly care which inscription I ended up with so long as I ended up with one....but damn if this isn't a fantastic one to have! The line comes from Season 3, Episode 1: "Go Big or Go Home."

Ron coaches a youth basketball team and details his legendary Pyramid of Greatness with life lessons and musings, and as we all know:

Crying - Acceptable at Funerals and The Grand Canyon

Here's the reverse of this beautiful specimen. It's POP 2 for dual grade with only 1 higher but I would venture to say it's the only inscription or maybe one of two PSA has graded. I will never, ever part with this collection centerpiece -- this Cardboard Mount Rushmore staple. Long live Ron Fucking Swanson!

Parks Meets Guardians: A Beautiful Chris Pratt Auto, PSA/DNA Authenticated!

Here's something completely different from what I usually collect, buuuuut it does very easily land in a collection I treasure. A long time ago I completed my Parks and Recreation Collection from the 2013 Press Pass release. It's one of my all-time favorite sets and it was near perfect as a trading card release can be....except for the fact that two main cast members were absent from the auto checklist. Rashida Jones and Chris Pratt did not lend their John Hancocks to the product and it has bummed me out ever since.

A lot of patience and a random eBay search rectified that absence years later as the above beauty is now in my hands! I don't even recall how I stumbled upon it but it cost a decent amount, took months to arrive from overseas (I assumed it was lost), and then made its way to PSA for a reholder that took many more months. Combining my love of Parks and my love of the Guardians of The Galaxy franchise and Pratt's portrayal of Star-Lord, it is the perfect piece to own shy of a second Recs release where he signs a trading card.

Part of me is tempted to have the auto graded but I don't want to give it up for another 6 months of waiting. It's a 10 in my heart and my book.

A Completed 2013 Parks & Recreation Master Set: Amy Poehler's Autograph!

In the realm of "things that should've been posted months ago" comes today's featured cardboard which is the last card from a long-ago D&A buy that included wax, a Matt Kemp 16x20 signed photo, and a graded T206 (damn that was a fun order). It also completes one of my all-time favorite projects I've undertaken as it's the final piece of my 2013 Press Pass Parks & Recreation Master Set.

Amy Poehler! Poehler portrayed Leslie Knope on the show and her autograph has easily been the most sought-after and most expensive one in the entire product. I waited and waited hoping to find a good deal and eventually this popped up on D&A for a price I simply could not pass up. It's actually not her base auto but a case incentive variation that, I believe, you got if you purchased 4 cases of the product from Dave and Adams.

As I stated this finally completes my Master Set -- which you can view in its entirety here -- although I would love to one day pick up an inscription signature, particularly one from Nick Offerman. In the meantime I'll just have to settle for the next best thing, an Offerman TTM I received 3 years ago in which he did inscribe "Greg, Admire my girth."

Not a bad substitute.

ANN PERKINS! A Rob Lowe 2013 Press Pass Parks and Recreation Auto!

Here's one of the first cards I ever purchased on COMC. I left that shipment pending for probably over a year and have slowly been posting its lovely contents. I was absolutely thrilled to find this sitting on COMC for the plucking as I needed it for my Parks and Recreation Master Set and I didn't have to spend anything out of pocket to secure it. This was paid for solely through COMC Challenges. I like free.

Ann Perkins! I love Rob Lowe and I especially love his portrayal of Chris Traeger on the show. I don't think any actor ever could have better played the role. This was one of the two big autos in the set, and I define big as being crossover actors who would attract attention from non-fans of the show (the other being Amy Poehler). It's a happy moment to cross this off the needs list.

#ParksandRecForever

Parks and Recreation: Amy Poehler's Triple Relic Is Finally All Mine!

It's always interesting when you come to the end of a master set or some big project and need a couple cards to finish things off. Do you overpay for the last one or two or three, or do you hold firm on what you think are fair prices and wait it out?

Amy Poehler's cards are the most expensive in the 2013 Parks and Recreation release from Press Pass and her triple was quite hard to nab. After a failed best offer the above -- numbered 70/99 -- appeared and I quickly made an offer. He countered and I was comfortable with the new offer, but mostly just relieved to knock off the last relic I needed. The swatches come from a suit jacket, blouse (real character to this piece), and pants worn in Episode 11 of Season 3.

I now just need the two big John Hancocks in the set: Poehler and Rob Lowe.

Creepy Rob Lowe Lurks His Way Into My Parks and Recreation PC!

Who doesn't love them some Rob Lowe? He's a great actor, his DirecTV commercials are phenomenal, and he's tremendous on Parks and Recreation as Chris Traeger. He is LITERALLY one of the greatest individuals to ever exist. His single swatch wardrobe relic was also the last one I needed to complete the mini subset of a larger subset in Press Pass' 2013 P&R release.

While his John Hancock from the set fetches a pretty penny his single relic was never a bank-breaker. There are actually a few choices and I was holding out for a baby blue swatch but I eventually couldn't handle knowing I needed something so easily attainable and bit at the above relic. It ran me just $5.44 delivered. In terms of relics, I only need Amy Poehler's triple memorabilia card. It will be pricey and difficult to acquire, but I look forward to the challenge!

Amy Poehler's Parks and Recreation Dual Relic Made The Trip From Down Under

The below dual relic was poached from an Australian seller on eBay for less than a blaster a few weeks back. Amy Poehler's cards from the Parks and Recreation release rarely are had for a good price, but thankfully these gorgeous pieces of wardrobe were had while not breaking the bank, especially considering they would be en route from an international seller.

Numbered 09/99, it's the final dual relic I needed to complete that small -- four-cards deep -- subset. I only need two more relics and two more autos to complete my master set, and one is already in transit while I've unfortunately missed out on both of the autos for what would have been fair prices (and in two cases for the same auto, a steal). One day....

A Rob Lowe Parks and Recreation Triple Relic! It's LITERALLY Amazing!

One of the biggest remaining non-auto obstacles in my quest to complete the 2013 Press Pass Parks and Recreation Master Set found its way into my mailbox recently, and I couldn't be happier with the deal I got on it. I've seen very few copies of this major memorabilia need, and to find one that ended just a shade over a blaster was too good to pass up.

Numbered 23/50 -- the base variation in this case -- Rob Lowe's fantastic triple relic is all mine! Pieces of a suit jacket, shirt, and tie make up this beaut of Lowe's phenomenal character Chris Traeger. It is LITERALLY an amazing piece of cardboard goodness and comes from Season 3, Episode 16 (Lil' Sebastian!). There are only two triple relics in the product and with the above addition I just need Amy Poehler's triple to complete this tiny subset.

Star-Lord! 2014 UD Guardians of The Galaxy: Chris Pratt Cosmic Strings Dual.

So Guardians of The Galaxy was amazing. I can't wait for the second installment to hit theaters around 2017, and in the meantime I'll just have to watch the movie over and over again. That, and pick up affordable singles (1/1 sketches!) from Upper Deck's Guardians of The Galaxy release which hit shelves in September.

The first single to enter my GOTG PC is the above Chris Pratt -- as Star-Lord -- dual relic from the Cosmic Strings subset. I acquired it for much less than I anticipated and much less than they were going for right after release. Usually it takes months for prices to drop on new releases, especially when it coincides with the biggest movie of the year that raked in half a billion. But $6.09 delivered netted me this beaut which features two distinct pieces of movie memorabilia.

Pratt is already a member of my Parks and Recreation PC. Perhaps one day one of his GOTG autos will end anywhere near affordable so I can add his John Hancock to my collection.

Parker Posey and Her Tough To Nab Parks and Recreation Auto.

One surprisingly tough autograph down, two exceptionally tough and expensive ones to go. That's where I stand with my 2013 Press Pass Parks and Recreation quest after I landed the below Parker Posey (as Lindsay Carlisle Shay) signature for $6.99 delivered to my door.

Parker's auto commanded more on the secondary market than I expected it to with her base John Hancock regularly topping double digits. That was more than I was willing to shell out, particularly with the two toughest sigs left to acquire. I remained patient and thankfully one eventually fell within my range and came my way. The 13-card auto'd set is within reach, but Amy Poehler and Rob Lowe are still upright. They are by far the most monetarily-draining entries on the checklist.

From Party Down to Parks and Rec.

My Parks and Recreation needs are quickly dwindling, as I'm down to just the biggest monetary expenditures. This, of course, coincides with the cards being of the biggest names for the most part, as well as some of the seemingly more short-printed actors and actresses. I was recently able to cross off one of those big needs after some back-and-forth with an eBay seller.

The above Blue Holo parallel, numbered 13/25, popped up with a BIN and Best Offer feature attached. I made an offer and the seller countered shortly thereafter. I countered once more and thankfully he or she was willing to take my blaster's worth of dollars. Adam Scott's fantastic dual relic (plaid shirt and tie, complete with a very visible loose thread) is now mine!

Ben Wyatt is a tremendous character. The pieces are from Season 4, Episode 12.

A Stunning Superman Sketch, Joe Simko

I've really gotten into non-sports cardboard over the last six or so months. Even though that is due to Archer and Parks and Recreation, I told myself that if I could land any sketch cards out of other products for a great price, I would allow it as long as it didn't conflict with acquiring any remaining needs from Archer or P&R. I recently searched random sketches and stumbled across the below by Joe Simko.

This gorgeous sketch hails from 2012 Cryptozoic DC Comics Superman: The Legend. I don't know my Superman history, so the villain is a mystery to me. Here's a funny thing about the card: it arrived with a bright orange background -- and I mean bright orange -- which did not come across in the auction. It makes the card even better. It refuses to scan orange even when I scan it in at home.

As I was scanning I realized I could play around with the contrast and tried to get the orange to show up. It didn't, but I was able to come up with some fun variations of the sketch with various colors becoming more and less apparent along the way.

My favorite of the three, as the colors really stand out. Except the orange. Simko is a very accomplished artist, producing content for Topps' Garbage Pail Kids releases in addition to creating his own book series (The Sweet Rot) and artwork for a number of bands. I'm quite happy to have him as part of my Sketch PC.

Aziz Ansari Dual Shirt/Suit Jacket Relic!

I was able to acquire my second dual relic out of 2013 Parks and Recreation when a seller listed the below Aziz Ansari for the BIN price of $7.99 plus shipping. Roughly half a blaster later and I could cross off another P&R Master Set need. The dual relics come in Base /99 (except Adam Scott's base which is /50) and Blue Holo, numbered out of a scant 25.

Numbered 46/99, I now just need the Amy Poehler and Adam Scott dual relics to complete that subset. Neither will come cheaply, in all likelihood. Oh, and can you top these sweet Aziz relics? A very colorful shirt piece with a seam as well as a two-color suit jacket swatch work so well together.

Adam Scott Relic: Parks and Recreation.

Another much-needed Parks and Recreation pickup to showcase today as I was able to land the Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt relic below for the low sum of just $5 delivered with free shipping. I was the sole bidder but had to wait out the 7 or 9-day auction. I fully expected to be outbid but thankfully that did not occur.

Numbered 88/99, it's another gold parallel relic, and this one has some real character to it, as there's a fat seam running through the shirt piece worn by Adam Scott. My Master Set plans for Parks is quite simple: I don't discriminate between a relic that's numbered or even between the two variations a couple of characters have. One of each from the checklist is good enough for my P&R collection. I now need just the Rob Lowe single relic to complete the single swatch subset.

From Parks and Recreation to Guardians of The Galaxy: Chris Pratt's Plaid Shirt.

Sometimes items appear on eBay with ridiculously low Buy-It-Nows or they slip through the auction cracks and end for almost nothing. This is a case of the former. A seller listed a gold parallel /99 relic of Chris Pratt, who's only starring in the biggest movie out right now. I still need to see Guardians of The Galaxy. Soon.

Pratt portrays the lovable Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation, and he only has a single relic in the set in terms of hits. It was always one of the more expensive single relics, if not the most pricey, but I expected that to especially continue being the case with the release of GOTG. However, this eBay individual decided a $2.99 BIN listing with a $2.49 shipping fee was sufficient for him.

It was damn sure sufficient enough for me to immediately pull the trigger and snatch it up the moment I saw it for the taking. Numbered 28/99, it features a sweet piece of Pratt's plaid button-down and at least four colors to go along with clearly visible stitching. Another P&R Master Set notch gets checked off of the list.

So There Are Simpsons Autos, and They Are SPECTACULAR -- 2000 Inkworks: The Simpsons (Homer, Mr. Burns, Lisa)!

The original non-sports set with autos, you could say. That's obvious hyperbole, but if we want to look at animated shows and sets released post-20th century, there's no better place to begin. I've only been on a bit of a non-sport kick recently. It's become apparent from my plentiful posts on both Archer and Parks and Recreation that some of you watch the latter and even less of you partake in the former. Well, I think I know of an animated show that pretty much all of you have partaken in on some level, even if it's just the all-time classic "Homer at the Bat," featuring some of baseball's biggest names: THE SIMPSONS!

I don't recall how I came to learn about the existence of these amazing pieces of cardboard. My guess is one of them was in a seller's inventory I was perusing, as I've been focused on non-sports cards for the past few months. And of course, once I knew I could own Homer Simpson's auto and relive the glory days of The Simpsons, I had to act. I researched Inkworks and their Simpsons' releases -- both The Simpsons Anniversary Celebration (2000) and The Simpsons Mania! (2001) -- and realized the John Hancocks from both were pretty damn rare and hard to come by. Which, as you can guess, means big money when they do appear for auction.

An eBay search turned up few auctions. The Buy-It-Now listings were very pricey, beyond what I could justify. There was one seller though who listed the same autos each and every week, and multiples of them at that. Inkworks went out of business about five years ago, so the well was not going to be refilled with product anytime soon. The sets are so magnificent and the autos on-card to boot, with checklists that are deep in character and importance but short in quantity (5 autos from 2000 and 7 from 2001) which serve to make it a manageable task to complete. The design is simple, with the major characters voiced by the actors and actresses surrounded by a colorful and empty background. That is then contrasted with the bottom portion of the card in white and the actor's name entirely capitalized.

The 2001 Mania! signatures are definitely much more difficult to come by and thus fetch bigger bucks on the open market. Hank Azaria seems to be the most expensive of the 7 from '01, although I'm still kicking myself for missing out on his card when it sold at auction on eBay for about $30. It was the first card from either release I had seen, and I may never see one again (and if I do, it likely won't be so affordable). That seller I mentioned a few paragraphs ago, the one who consistently listed cards from Inkworks' 2000 Simpsons' set? I was able to secure the lot of three autographs you see above, and it breaks down to a very reasonable number per card (less than a blaster per sig).

Here are all three card backs. The design is once again great and colorful. The Shearer actually fits into another of my PCs: my UCLA collection, as the actor and comedian attended school in Westwood. I was determined to at least nab his auto should the lot of three exceed my budget. Thankfully, Harry arrived with friends. Oh, and the seller listed these as "The Simpsoms." It may not have affected the price, but it didn't hurt my case either as I landed Dan Castellaneta, Harry Shearer, and Yeardley Smith in one fell swoop.

The best example of the price disparity between '00 and '01 would be looking at the lower-end autos from Simpsons Mania!. Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, and Russi Taylor aren't necessarily household names, but Simpsons' fans know them as the actresses who voice some of Springfield's supporting cast. Their autographs are only found in the 2001 issue from Inkworks and thus far have appeared on eBay at nearly $100. This lot of three autos -- with much bigger and more vital names in Simpsons' lore -- was less than half of that combined.

Oh, and speaking of "Homer at the Bat," Deadspin had a terrific feature on the classic episode, and the episode in its entirety can be viewed here. I had not seen it in probably over a decade, and I had yet to even turn three years old when it originally aired. These beautiful cards allowed me to take a wonderful view down memory lane.

It has become apparent to me that my love of non-sports cards is only growing more and more each day. I still need to acquire some hits from the various The Big Bang Theory sets released by Cryptozoic. Cryptozoic has also announced a future release for Sleepy Hollow. I'll probably just go the eBay route for everything from those shows unless boxes end up being remarkably cheap.

All that remains is for somebody to one day put out cards for both Frisky Dingo and American Dad. An R&B-themed Steve Smith variation would definitely necessitate money leaving my wallet.

If you're a fan of The Simpsons, do yourself a favor and go nab some of these amazing cards. Just leave my remaining needs available for me!

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!

Aziz Ansari Auto Addition: Parks & Rec.

Less than $13.50 delivered netted me the latest addition to my Parks and Recreation Collection. I've busted four boxes of this amazing product and with this latest pickup in my quest to put together the entire autograph subset, I'm down to the two most expensive cards -- Amy Poehler and Rob Lowe -- as well as a couple of the more affordable cards. Welcome to the family, Aziz Ansari.

I love me some Tom Haverford. Aziz signed all of his cards with a red pen, so it's not short-printed based on the signature color. From what I've gathered online, his base autograph is limited to 148 copies.

Tom and I are in full agreement on this one.