Freebies with an Ebay Purchase

While slowly picking off Dan Vogelbach cards this year I've been occasionally surprised by the generosity of Ebay sellers.

My most recent package arrived a couple of days ago and the card I was looking for was buried between free cardboard!

A pack of 2017 Bowman was on one side of my card and some Topps Heritage was on the other.

I, like most, am a fan of free cardboard. On two separate times this summer the seller has included random Seattle Mariners singles. You know, because if I am buying a Vogelbach card I most obviously love all things Mariners.

Um... no.   Each time it was a nice gesture, but those Mariner cards have all gone straight into the trade box.

There was nothing special about the bonus Heritage cards.

Oh, look!  Another Mariner!  LOL

I've only ripped one Bowman pack this year, but oddly enough I think I have the Cubs team set already. More on that to come in a post early next week. Here's the pack of Bowman pictured in pairs.

Not a bad start here. The Arrieta card is a dupe for me, but a Cub in a pack is always a good pack. Chris Sale is a stud.  This pack is starting off nicely.

 What do Yankee fans call Gary Sanchez?  Isn't he the Kraken or something? Mazara is still young and loaded with potential.

 The chrome cards were kind of meh. Jahmai Jones is one of the Angels' two top prospects, but their farm system isn't exactly stacked. I don't know much about Rniel Raudes. But, I do like alliteration.

 Craig Kimbrel dominated hitters in 2017. He was really, really good. Ke'Bryan Hayes is the son of former major leaguer Charlie Hayes.  So, yeah, there's that.

I had Stephen Gonsalves on my farm system in one of my fantasy leagues. He has potential and maybe the Twins will give him a shot in 2017. The Phillies finally unleashed Rhys Hoskins on MLB pitching in August and you have to think Philadelphia's fan base was glad they did.

Not a bad pack overall. There wasn't a big hit, but it was fun and appreciated. I tip my cap to you, Mr. Ebay seller!

Oh, here's a sneak peak at the card stashed in the middle of the free cards.

That's some mojo right there!  It'll appear in a future Vogelmonster post. Stay tuned!

Part 5: Vogelbach on 2017 Cardboard

I'm still hunting multiple websites for Dan Vogelbach cards which have eluded me during the 2017 baseball card collecting year, but the chase is finally starting to slow. I figure by the time I finish this series of posts we'll be counting down the days for 2018 Topps Series 1 to hit the shelves.

I'm going to go in chronological order from the first cards produced to the most recent. Each post will contain all of the Dan Vogelbach cards I've acquired from that set and I'll make a short mention of the ones I'm still on the look out for.
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Round 5: Allen & Ginter

Allen & Ginter is not my kind of set. I buy maybe a pack a year, but I never know what to do with the non-baseball related cards. I find it odd there are so many bloggers who love A&G and it's because of the non-baseball and non-sport related material.

I didn't purchase one pack of A&G this year, but I did buy into a case break of and picked up many Vogelmonsters from the set to add to my collection!

For what it's worth, I find this year's design to be very attractive, and I hope they stick with the "framing" of the players.  Only time will tell I suppose!

In the picture above, the base is on the left, hot box foil is in the middle and the black Ginter X is on the right. 

 Yep, I snagged another blank back card from the Topps Vault.  What is wrong with me?

Miiiiiiinnnnnniiiiiiiiiis!

From left to right in the top row: regular back, A&G back, A&G back with no number, and red back hand numbered to 25. In the bottom row we have the gold parallel, the black, and the black Ginter X parallel.

Bummer, I wish could have taken a better picture without so much glare.  But, here are the autos!

The one on the bottom left is numbered to 25, but otherwise it looks very similar to the base auto directly above it. My favorite is the silver ink auto. I'm partial to the framed minis as it is, but that silver ink on the black card is sharp!

2017 Allen & Ginter Haves (15):

2017 Allen & Ginter Needs (6):
#314 - Topps Allen & Ginter (Glossy), 1/1
#314 - Topps Allen & Ginter (mini Wood), 1/1
#314 - Topps Allen & Ginter (mini Glossy), 1/1
#314 - Topps Allen & Ginter (mini printing plates), 1/1
#314 - Topps Allen & Ginter (mini X - red parallel) #/5
#314 - Topps Allen & Ginter (mini X - silver parallel), 1/1

I think I did pretty good tracking down what I could. One of ones are a complete crap shoot as you never know if that card will ever make it out it's original packing. And if it does, who is to say the card every finds its way to the secondary market?  I have see one of the red mini parallels, and I put in an offer of $20 for it and was rebuffed. Bummer.

Overall, Allen & Ginter was very good to me this year. It was a fun set to chase and really enjoyed finding all of the mini variations.

Thanks for reading!  Look for more Vogelmonster posts to come!

Football Trip to NIU and Penquins!

The high school I teach at saw its football team play in the 5A state championship game at Northern Illinois University this past Saturday. It was a fun season, especially for a football program which had never advanced past the second round of the playoffs in its history. 

Dunlap entering the field by ripping through the cheerleaders' sign. 

I have had the cushy job of manning the iPad the past few seasons to record live footage. My footage is then sent wirelessly to three other iPads so coaches and players may look at game film much the way NFL teams due on the sideline. It's a fairly easy job, and any student could do it, but I think the head coach likes having a dependable and responsible co-worker on the job. 

2 hour drive, but the fans travel well!

The played Chicago Phillips High School, out of the Chicago Public League where students transfer schools as frequently as the wind changes direction. I was told that nine of Phillips' starters transferred in this school year. Yeah... that'll give a boost to your program in a heart beat!

Our team was the underdog going in and our quarterback was lost to a shoulder injury during the first offensive series of the game. We lost 33-7, but our team showed heart in the second half and took home the second place trophy back to Dunlap with pride. A 13-1 record is definitely something to be proud of! It was really an amazing season. I've seen first hand how hard the coaches and players work and I'm very proud to play a small part in their memorable season. 

The above pictures were taken from my spot atop the NIU press box. Yep, up high, outside, in the wind, on a 40 degree day. I wore layers and stood in the sun, so it actually wasn't too bad. The video guy for Chicago Phillips was fun to talk to as well, so time flew by even though the game was a 21 point spread fairly early on. 

During halftime I found my way back inside the press box and enjoyed the free food!  Coffee on a cold day? Yes, please!

Later that even, once back in P-town, my wife and I restored our inflatable penguins to their rightful place in the front yard. We lost our big ash tree this spring and now the penguins are on center stage!

We don't do much for holiday decorations, but we do love our penguins!

That's it for today's post. I hope you enjoyed something non-cardboard related for a change.  More cards of the Vogelmonster tomorrow!

Part 4: Vogelbach on 2017 Cardboard

I'm still hunting multiple websites for Dan Vogelbach cards which have eluded me during the 2017 baseball card collecting year, but the chase is finally starting to slow. I figure by the time I finish this series of posts we'll be counting down the days for 2018 Topps Series 1 to hit the shelves.

I'm going to go in chronological order from the first cards produced to the most recent. Each post will contain all of the Dan Vogelbach cards I've acquired from that set and I'll make a short mention of the ones I'm still on the look out for.
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Round 4: 2017 Topps Stadium Club

I have always been a big fan of Stadium Club. I saw the design for this year's set early on in 2017 and decided I would build the set. I had to double back once I realized how many products Vogelbach was probably going to be in. I picked up a blaster of the product and called it good.

Above are the 5"x7" cards. I think there were only two made. The gold on the left is number out of 10. Oooooh... Ahhhhhh...

For the record, stadium Club is known for its photography and although dugout shots aren't terribly common, I wasn't wowed with the photo selection for Vogelbach's card. I think my expectations may have been a little too high for a rookie most people haven't heard of (yet).

I was able to secure the gold foil, black foil, sepia and the low numbered "Members Only" parallel for very good deals.  I did make a mistake and bought what was touted as a "black and white" parallel of Vogelbach's card only to find out it was a sepia card.  Duplicate!  Live and learn I suppose.

 Yes, I got sucked into another Topps Vault blank back purchase. Not the first and not the last. Again, please don't judge!

Autos!  Why we need autograph parallels is something I'll never know.

 Guess which one was the best deal?  Well, the base was the cheapest to add and you can probably still pick one up off of Ebay for $4 shipped if you wanted. I was able to pick up the one in the bottom right, numbered to 5, for a shockingly low price. Ladies and gentlemen, don't allow your auctions to end after midnight if you want a bidding war at the end to drive up the price.

2017 Stadium Club Haves (12):

2017 Stadium Club Needs (5):
#298 - Topps Stadium Club (Rainbow Foil), #/25
#298 - Topps Stadium Club (First Day Issue), #/10? - Acquired on 12/09/17
#298 - Topps Stadium Club (Gold Rainbow Foil), 1/1
#SCA-DV - Topps Stadium Club (Rainbow Foil Auto), #/10
#SCA-DV - Topps Stadium Club (Gold Rainbow Foil Auto), 1/1

Of the five I need, I haven't seen any of them come through on Ebay yet. I occasionally look at the other websites, but there's been no luck on Sportlots, COMC, or JustCommons either. I'd like to add the Rainbow (non-auto), but I have to find it first!

I hope you are enjoying this series. So far it's been fun to rehash a summer chock full of Vogelmonster purchases!

Set Help and Bonuses!

I love getting back to my roots.  In this case, the roots I am referring to are my set building roots.  Ripping, sorting, collating, creating a checklist, hunting down those needed cards... all the while enjoying the photography on the front and reading the backs and absorbing as much information as I can. 

That's how I did it twenty-five years ago and even now the process has only slightly changed. The addition of trading is the only difference. And, what a difference it makes! Honestly, I think it's my favorite part and I wonder how I got along all those years ago with the internet and baseball card blogging buddies. 

Adam, from ARPSmith's Sportscard Obsession, reached out to me with a small list of 2017 Topps Fire cards he needed. Miraculously, with the help of a couple of card show finds, I was able to fill his entire list.

He sent some cards back and I'm so happy he did! Adam is the EIGHTH blogger who has helped me piece his set together.  How cool is that?

 I only need one card now. Edwin Encarnacion. Can you help?

I had a copy of this Sandberg, but now I have one for the player collection!  Woot!

Parallels! I love how shiny the parallels are in this set. Just wonderful!

Extra Cubs mojo!  

I didn't even know there was an MVP insert set. Nice.   Brett Anderson gold parallel.  I really was hoping he could have been healthy and effective in 2017... sigh.

Thanks for the set help and thanks for the trade, Adam!

Part 3: Vogelbach on 2017 Cardboard

I'm still hunting multiple websites for Dan Vogelbach cards which have eluded me during the 2017 baseball card collecting year, but the chase is finally starting to slow. I figure by the time I finish this series of posts we'll be counting down the days for 2018 Topps Series 1 to hit the shelves.

I'm going to go in chronological order from the first cards produced to the most recent. Each post will contain all of the Dan Vogelbach cards I've acquired from that set and I'll make a short mention of the ones I'm still on the look out for.
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Round 3: 2017 Topps Series 2

When Series released in the middle of June I was really happy to find Vogelbach on the checklist. But, wow... this has been a tiresome chase and I am definitely missing some cards here.

 It looks identical to the first card, but the card in the top middle is from the Mariners team set.

 Black and White parallel.  Too bad there isn't a 10 card page holder, because this one couldn't fit with its friends. The cards on the right are from the Salute and 1987 insert sets.

 Autographs!  They are of the sticker variety, but I'll take 'em!

 The card on the left is the maple version and the one on the right is the ash. The fronts actually feel like real wood!  These two are represent a pair of the more unique cards in my collection.

Yep, I bought the blank back card from the Topps Vault. Yes, I'm a sucker for cheap 1/1 card even if it is a money grab by Topps.  Please, don't judge.

 Printing Plate! I would love to find the others, but I'm happy to have the one for now.  Of the 150+ additions to my Vogelbach collection this year, this is the only printing plate I've been able to acquire.

These last cards are all 5"x7" in size. I feel like I'm missing one of the base card, because I was able to score two from each insert set. Maybe one will pop up on Ebay some day?

 Wow, that was a lot of cards! Did you notice what I did?  Yes, the same photo was used for every card in this post... base, inserts, and autos. Bummer. And wait, Topps Chrome is yet to come!

Let's see what I have.

2017 Topps Series 2 Haves (22):

2017 Topps Series 2 Needs (7):
#519 - Topps (Vintage Stock parallel), #/99 - retail packs only
#519 - Topps (Mother's Day Hot Pink), #/50
#519 - Topps (Father's Day Powder Blue), #50
#519 - Topps (Memorial Day Camo), #/25
#519 - Topps (Clear Parallel), #/10
#87-183 - Topps 1987 Insert (Red), #/25
#S-171 - Topps Salute Insert Auto (Red), #/10 or #/5

Nope, I didn't type out any of the 1/1 cards. There are just too many that I'll never come across or which will priced too high if I do. Of the seven needed cards above, I'd like to think I could purchase most of them, but they just never seem to find their way to Ebay, COMC, JustCommons, or Sportlots. Someday!

Three sets down...   More than a dozen to go!

Cards from SCC

It looks like I've fount a new trading partner in Matt from Sport Card Collectors. He's a Rodney Hampton super collector, which means I get to shop sportlots.com when looking for material to send his way. Double bonus!

Let's see what he sent my way this time!

 Ahhhh!  Another Cubs World Series related card from Update. Again, I need more of these for other binders.  Hit me up if you one!

 I'd like the Cubs re-sign Davis for 2018 and beyond. I know he can't pitch much better than what he did in 2017, but I think he can be solid as the last man out of the bullpen for a few more seasons.

 More Update goodness!  Woo-Hoo! Have an extra copy of the "History Makers"? Let me know! I could use another copy of the Duensing card, too.  Hoping to meet him at the Cubs Convention in January for an in-person autograph.

 Miiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiis!  Zobrist and Dawson are two of my favorite Cubs ever. Hard to go wrong with these two guys. Great athletes and even better human beings.

Lastly, we have a negative parallel or black & white parallel of Kyle Hendricks from 2017 Topps Chrome. Honestly, this card is kind of freaky-scary. It looks like Kyle, who is about as mild-mannered as Clark Kent, has some serious demons to exorcise. Am I right?

Thanks for the cards, Matt!  I'll see what I do about send something your way before the calendar turns to 2018.

Part 2: Vogelbach on 2017 Cardboard

I'm still hunting multiple websites for Dan Vogelbach cards which have eluded me during the 2017 baseball card collecting year, but the chase is finally starting to slow. I figure by the time I finish this series of posts we'll be counting down the days for 2018 Topps Series 1 to hit the shelves.

I'm going to go in chronological order from the first cards produced to the most recent. Each post will contain all of the Dan Vogelbach cards I've acquired from that set and I'll make a short mention of the ones I'm still on the look out for.
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Round 2: 2017 Topps Inception

I kept searching Ebay on a weekly basis for "2017 Vogelbach," but nothing but autographed balls and pictures would pop up in my search. Finally, in the middle of May, Topps Inception found its way to Ebay.

Topps Inception is a high-end product: 7 cards in one box that usually runs over $80.

Luckily, Dan Vogelbach has yet to make a name for himself and his cards can be snagged a pretty fair price.

Each card is numbered in the upper right hand corner.  Somehow I was able to track down all of the parallels except the 1/1, which I'll probably never see or be able to afford.

 I love that these autographs are on the card. Not every product does this and I feel it makes for a cleaner looking card when stickers aren't used. These cards also work well with the different color versions.

2017 Topps Inception Haves (5):

2017 Topps Inception Needs (1):
The 1/1 "Inception" Parallel

Two sets down...   Stay tuned and thanks for reading!