Creeping Toward 700

 Without the addition of a 2021 release to chase after, the growth of my Dan Vogelbach collection has truly slowed. I'm trying to pick up cards from past years which I missed the first time around, but Milwaukee must really love the Vogelmonster because I've never had so much competition while bidding on Ebay. 

2020 Topps Jumbo Jersey Sleeve Patch

I've been watching this card for a few months at a very high "buy it now" price. The seller eventually gave in and began marking the item down 10% every time the seven day auction expired. I waited a few cycles of the mark down process until I figured it was time to pounce. I probably could have waited a couple of weeks longer, but I didn't want to risk losing this one to another buyer, especially with a card with such a low print run. 

I'm not particularly a fan of manu-relics, nor autograph stickers, but for whatever reason I'm attracted to this card. The most logical reason for my captivation can be traced back to the subject: it's THE VOGELMONSTER!

I hope you've enjoyed this quick post about card #691 in my Vogey collection.

Thanks for reading and have a great one!

I Needed That Filler Card

Most of the Vogelbach cards in my collection have come through Ebay or Sportlots purchases. Most of the time I don't write a blog post about them unless something really strikes me.  

When opening today's mail this beauty dropped out. 

I think this will be my last go around of chasing all of Vogelbach's parallels and I'll stick just to the base cards, relics and autos next year. I don't mind the chase, but card companies are getting out of control with the parallels... I'm looking at you Panini Prizm and Topps Chrome, which includes the new Ben Baller Chrome set.

I believe this is the first 2020 Archives Vogelbach card I have shown on the blog, so let me take a second to address the reason why he is squinting in the photo. Obviously, he is checking to see if can still see the ball he jettisoned into the stratosphere just minutes earlier while taking batting practice. For the record, this is the only viable argument I will accept. 

Bordering the green foil board card, seen above, was a rookie card of Justin Dunn. I jumped off the Mariners' bandwagon when Vogelbach reached for his passport to Toronto, but I know enough about Dunn to realize he has the potential to be a serviceable middle of the rotation type. It'll go into my trade box for the time being. 

There was another card. 

I needed it. 

Actually, I needed it for a player collection.

More importantly, I needed it for my VOGELMONSTER collection!

Do you how glorious a free base card can be? Oh, so glorious!

I love when sellers throw in freebies to "protect" the other cards. I was watching a Phil's Pulls video on YouTube the other day and he says he saves packs of regular Bowman from retail Mega Boxes to use as protection in card shipments. Must be nice!

2020 Stadium Club Auto Update: Oh. My. Goodness. A package from Julie arrived today. I didn't open it. I'm going to save it for an evening after a particularly rough day at work. I'm a teacher... during a pandemic... working at a school which is offering both in-person and remote options to students... which I try to execute during the same scheduled class period. My head spins like an owl's on a regular basis. What I'm getting at is I'll surely crack into Julie's package within the next couple of days. I know, I know. I'm such a tease. 

Have a great evening! 

I Fell into Ebay's Trap

 Just like many other bloggers and Twitter users I also found this message in my Ebay inbox about a week ago. 

I use my watchlist to store all the Vogelbach cards I need for my player collection. I could have picked up a handful of Chrome parallels, but I decided to take down a 1/1 from my wantlist instead. 

It arrived just the other day. 

This is the gold parallel from this year's online exclusive of Topps Total. I would never spend the $30 asking price for any Vogelbach card, but I could spend five dollars after applying the coupon. 

I already had the base card from Topps Total, but I didn't have the other two parallels, which also happened to be listed on the website. 

So, I fell into Ebay's trap and purchased a couple of more cards, which I wouldn't have done unless I had the 1/1. Someone in their business department is smiling at their cleverness. I'm sure of it.

The red parallel is numbered to 10 and the black is numbered to 5. Low numbered parallels are tough to come by and I feel pretty fortunate all of these were available on Ebay at the same time. 

So, there we go. The 2020 Topps Total complete rainbow. It's only four colors, but that's all the parallels. Woo-Hoo!

If you haven't tried already you should give the coupon code a try. I know it hasn't worked for everyone, but you might get lucky!

Thanks for stopping by!

Santo Collection: A Deeper Dive

Ron Santo's playing days were long over by the time I found baseball and the Cubs, but he quickly became one of my favorites because of his radio personality. Santo could tell some great baseball stories, he knew how to laugh at himself, and he wore his Cubs fandom on his sleeve. 

I started picking up cheap well-loved copies of his vintage baseball cards when I re-entered the hobby over a decade ago. The other day I decided to flip through my Santo pages and track down which Topps cards I was missing from his playing days. 

I pleasantly surprised to find I had all of his early cards. Whew!

From the standard Topps set I've left place holders for the following cards:

1965 Topps, #6, RBI Leaders with Boyer & Mays

1968 Topps, #5, HR Leaders with Aarpm, Wynn & McCovey

1969 Topps, #570

1970 Topps, #670

1972 Topps, #555

1975 Topps #35

If you have a beat up Ron Santo card, from the above list, which could use a good home please give me a shout!

In related news: I found a cheap Santo on eBay the other day, and even though it's not from his playing days it is pretty darn close. 

This card is from the 1976 Chicago's Greats set. 

It's not a spectacularly unique looking card or highly sought after, but I'm excited anytime I can add 40+ year old cardboard to my collection. 

Speaking of adding things to my collection... I decided to catalog my Santo cards in TCDB. 

 No surprise with who resides at #1, but Santo has found himself sitting alone in second place. If I were to log all of my cards I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be in the Top 20, but that's okay for a guy who finished his playing days before I was born.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe.

When I'm in Sheltered-In-Place

Illinois, under executive order of its governor, is under a Shelter-In-Place order until April 7th.

I spent last week "teaching" from home, but spring break started today and runs through next week.

So, what is one to do when you're not allowed to go anywhere but the pharmacy, the grocery store or the gas station?

Well, I inspect the arrivals to my Vogelmonster collection probably a little too closely.

Here is today's offering:

It's a 2012 A Sign Of History cut autograph of Dan Vogelbach from his days with the Kane County Cougars.

I saw this pop up on eBay at a discounted price and dropped it in my shopping cart while picking up some other Vogelbach mojo. I'm a sucker for anything Vogelbach which isn't already in my collection.

The back of the card doesn't offer too much insight on the manufacturer.

In fact, the website listed on the back is actually a dead link. Bummer. But, I was able to track down some pretty reliable information on the "company" from our local Tim Wallach collector.

I'm not bothered that this card seems to be made out of some guy's basement, but what does bother me is the cut auto used and the date on the case and card.

It's advertised as a 2012 product, but Dan Vogelbach didn't play with Kane County until 2013. Heck, Kane County was an Oakland affiliate in 2012.

I'll take a guess at what happened here. There were extra 2012 cut signature frames leftover and the gentleman making the product decided to throw an auto from 2013 in there assuming no one would notice!

He probably would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for this meddling kid.

Mystery solved!

Shiny Vogel Goodness from N.O.

I had a handful of PWEs come in today and my list of bloggers I owe cards to continues to grow. I'll have to get off my duff some weekend soon and make it out to a show to pick up some cards for return packages.

Back to the mail. All but one of the return addresses were foreign to me, so I saved the known PWE for last. Mail from the blogging brethren is the best type of mail after all.

One of the Ebay envelopes contained a silver foil card of the 2020 Series Dan Vogelbach card. When I opened the envelope I could have sworn I heard angels sing.

When I got to the last envelope, which was sent from our local Night Owl, I was pretty amped up to see what he sent my way.

Then, there were more angels singing! Plus, bonus points for N.O. as he becomes the 15th different person to send a Vogelmonster card my way.

I'm seeing double! 

Yep, I now have two of the silver foil cards. So Shiny!

One card, obviously, will be enshrined within the pages of my Vogelbach binder. I'm thinking the other one will slip into the exterior pocket on the spine of said binder. The foil board shininess will look sharp on the outside of the binder.

Thanks for thinking of me Night Owl. I'll try to find some worthy Dodgers goodness to send you way before too long!

Resolved and a Gift!

Ten days ago I received three Austin Meadows autos from an Ebay breaker who busted 3 cases of 2020 Topps Archives Signature Series.

That was a bummer of a day. I received quite a bit of feedback on that post and I'd thank those who wished me a quick resolution.

Today the cards arrived.

Prepare yourself for super Vogel Mojo!

2013 Bowman, #60/99

2014 Bowman Platinum, #19/47

2015 Topps Heritage Minors, #23/34 -- This one's my favorite. The card design is in my Top 10 from Topps and the uniform top is similar to a throwback. The whole card has a vintage-esque vibe to it, you know, besides the gold foil stamp and what not.

It only took ten days to turn three unwanted Meadows into three VOGELMONSTERS. That's a pretty quick turnaround if you ask me.

It was an honest mistake and I'm just happy to have my cards. Glorious Vogelbach cards!

But, wait! That's not all!  The seller slipped in a pack Topps 2020 Series 1. Not needed, but totally appreciated.

I'm not going to buy and packs this year. That's my thing. I'm forty-four days in to the new year and going strong.  Yet, if someone wants to gift me a pack . . . well, that's something different altogether.

So, here's the highlights. We'll start with my first card from a pack for 2020:

 Hey, a rookie I've heard of before!  Not a bad way to start a pack!

I also found this guy in the pack.

 Two Blue Jay fledglings. Nice.

And then there was this:

I have a feeling this pack was meant for someone north of the border. Wow. 

Here's another checklist.

 I guess I didn't realize last year's All-Star batting practice jerseys were sleeveless. Huh.

How about a second future star?

I liked the brazen future star font of the late 80's. This is way too subtle for me. 

Rookie Cup!

This fourteen card pack is bringing the young talent!

1985 Topps is an underrated design in my book.

The Willie Mays card is a sweet pull if you ask me. 

Photography.

 Topps, from what I have seen, did a most excellent job this year with photo selection and cropping.

Ha!  No Vogelbach in the pack, but I did pull a Kike card!  I don't think gcrl needs the base card, but I'll send it to him anyways.

I tell you what, I'm not into using my blog space as a promotional tool, but here's the business card of the Ebay seller. Yes, he mixed up the packages. But, he fixed it as quickly as possible, owned his mistake, paid for ALL the shipping, and tossed in a free pack of cards to make sure I had a good experience.

If you're looking for an Ebay breaker who does an honest break and treats their customers right, then give Sport Card Breakers a shot.

Have a great Valentine's Day, everyone!

The Worst Kind of Mail Day

I bought into a 3-case player break of Topps 2020 Archives Signature Series last week. I'm sure you can guess which player I rolled the dice on.

I watched the video on Youtube the next day and was pretty stoked that I hit three cards out of the 60-card break.

Then my package arrived today in the mail:

Last time I checked I wasn't an Austin Meadows super collector.

Meadows?  Hmph. The guy I was expecting hits bombs. VOGELBOMBS!

Cue up the sad trombone sound.

I wonder how long this will take to resolve?

USPS vs. The Vogelmonster

I ship cards using the good old plain white envelope (PWE) all the time. I don't really ever remember having much of a problem. Don't get me wrong, there are some horrifying stories out there, but I've been relatively fortunate thus far.

I was expecting an Ebay purchase to arrive last week from the Chicago suburbs last week. It did not come. Then I saw the same card listed on Ebay over the weekend and the new seller was from Chicago.

With a hobby full of card trimming, sketchy grading practices from companies, and other unscrupulous individuals it was hard not to think the worst of the seller. Could they have marked the auction as shipped, but instead they relisted the card at a higher price because they didn't get the price they wanted the first time around?

Today, this arrived:

It's the dreaded body bag from the USPS!

Writing "Non-Machinable" and "Do Not Bend" on the PWE didn't do much this time around.

Obviously, I didn't get my card last week because USPS employees were using my PWE to play ultimate frisbee over the weekend. The seller was a good dude after all!

Here's the envelope removed from the body bag:

There's actually a third, smaller hole on the corner near my index finger. The two holes in this picture were pretty sizable, but the card holder was taped to the inside of the envelope so it wasn't going anywhere. Maybe the tape not allowing the holder to slide around on the inside of the envelope is what caused the problems in the first place?

 The card holder hit the trash can immediately after freeing my card. Look at the top of the picture. There's something cross between a cat's hairball and the coronavirus attached to that thing. Ack!

 The card had slid toward the opening and it barely stuck to the painter's tape.

No biggie, because . . .

So beautiful!

Body bag, holes in the PWE, and a marred card protector, but the Vogelbach card came out unscathed!

You can't stop THE VOGELMONSTER!

The Vogelmonster: 1
USPS: 0

Better luck next time, USPS!

Removing the Floating Head

Page 22 of the Hall of Fame Binder yielded a floating head. Poor Travis Jackson!

Ghastly, if I do say so.

As soon as I finished writing the post I scampered off to Ebay to see what I could do about finding a replacement.

For $3, which included shipping, I was able to find a 58 year old piece of cardboard that not only had Travis Jackson's head, but also a body. What a deal!

 Thank goodness for 1961 Fleer Baseball Greats! For the record, this card was produced 21 years before Jackson got the call to Cooperstown.

The HOF Binder has been updated and I'm much happier. 😀

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Vogelmonster Mojo

I have about ten high-end cards sitting in my Ebay watch list. I monitor their price history and when when a seller decides to cut their losses that's when I jump in.

I had been following the 2013 Bowman Sterling Dan Vogelbach yellow printing plate for a few months now. It's most recent Buy It Now price was $60, and not one I was willing to pay.

Picture of the base card.

Then, the listing went to the auction format and I happened to be the only bidder.

It was all mine for less than a price of a 2018 Topps Series 1 blaster. No regrets here.

It's my third printing plate of The Vogelmonster and the 308th different card in the player collection.

Did you notice the base card is predominantly black?  Are you curious to see what a yellow printing plate looks like when a card is this dark?

 No, it's not the most aesthetically pleasing printing plate. But, I'll give it a good home!

Thanks for stopping by!

First Vogelbach Card of 2017

2017 Topps team sets are available in retail outlets. Instead of purchasing the entire Mariner team set I chose to pick up the Dan Vogelbach card from Ebay.

 Vogelbach wasn't included in Series 1 or the Mariners' Opening Day roster, but I think the above card is a sure fire sign that he'll be included in Series 2.

The backs are pretty much what you've seen before, but I am curious as to why Topps didn't include Vogelbach's Twitter handle. Perhaps Topps just threw the #TOPPSBASEBALL on the backside of all the team set cards?  Or many they couldn't find The Vogelmontser's Twitter account? It is pretty tricky: @DanielVogelbach  . . . No matter.

I'm super pumped to chase down all the parallels of this card when the time comes. Keep me in mind if you happen to pull any!

Thanks for reading!

Moving in the Wrong Direction

Much like Wrigley Wax, I enjoy following particular high end cards on Ebay hoping they will someday reach the price point at which I can finally pull the trigger and not experience buyer's remorse. I had been following a Dan Vogelbach superfractor, which started out at $250 and made it's way down to $100 before mysteriously vanishing from Ebay. I promised myself I would strike if it ever made it down to $75 and I'm still thinking about contacting the seller and trying to workout a deal.

The only other Vogelbach superfractor has been on Ebay for over 6 months and the price has barely moved in that time.

I like to keep little notes on the prices as they change to make myself a more educated buyer, which you can in the picture above.

The auction expired earlier his week and I was hoping to see another drop in price. Maybe down to $349? Instead I came away quite bewildered. Check it out:

Huh. A card hasn't sold in half a year so let's go ahead and raise the price higher than I've seen it. Obviously, there's something else going on with the seller that I'm not aware of, and I'm not one to judge (usually), but his doesn't make any sense. The price is moving in the wrong direction!  <grumble-grumble>

Any superfractor I acquire would be the very first in my collection, but I don't want my first to be of just any player. It must be of The VOGELMONSTER! I'm now more tempted than ever to go back to the other seller and see if they still have their Vogelbach superfractor and find out what price it would take to pry it lose from them. I don't like to haggle, but this may be a time where I have to put on my big boy pants and do what has to be done.

To make myself feel a little better I did pick up another Vogelbach card to add to my collection.

This one is the 122nd different card in the player collection, it's an "artist's proof" numbered to 49, and I picked it up for eight bucks shipped. Not the best price, but it is a buck cheaper than what it's selling for on COMC and I didn't have to wait until the free shipping promotion on Black Friday.

Finding unique Vogelbach cards is becoming more and more challenging, but I think that's part of the fun.

Hey, do me favor. If you're sitting on a Vogelbach superfractor, or know someone who is, would you give me a shout?  😉

Thanks for reading!

2016 Topps Legacies of Baseball

I must admit, I love high-end sets. The photos are so crisp, the print runs are low, autos and serial numbering abound, and every card feels like a hit.

Yet, my pockets are decidedly a bit on the shallow side and I must cherry pick cards from Ebay when I can. 2016 Topps Legacies of Baseball released a little over a month ago and I finally pulled the trigger on one cards.

Boxes of Topps Legacies of Baseball contain one pack and each pack contains four cards. The price for a box will run you in the neighborhood of $120.  If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then yes, that is an average of $30 per card. Yikes! Two of the four cards in the box are autographs, one is numbered to 99 or less, and the other is a metal card.

On the left is an example of one of the serial numbered inserts titled, "Lasting Imprints". Honestly, this card creeps me out. Fergie looks like some sort of bronzed ghost reaching out to grab me.

 The card on the right is GORGEOUS. It reminds a bit of Bowman Inception from a couple of years back. Just a beautiful design that is well executed. (Both pictures were swiped from Ebay.)

The autos are what drive the product and other than Kyle Schwarber on the checklist a Cubs fan can hope to find Kris Bryant, Mark Grace, or Mark Prior.  I wouldn't be against adding any of the four, but I'll probably have to settle for Grace or Prior due to budgetary constraints.

I passed on the numbered inserts and the autos and went straight for the metal card:

These are officially called Vault Metal cards and they're pretty sweet. It's about as think as a relic card and certainly carries some heft to it. Some may say the card is a little bland, but it's simple and I've always been attracted to understated designs. There are fifty different metal cards in the set and there are also colored parallels to the metal cards. I chose to chase the base, which is numbered to 135, and I paid just under $5 for this unique addition to my collection. 

In theory, someone paid $120 for a four card box, and I bought one of them for an Abe Lincoln. I'm not sure what that says about the card market, but I'll take advantage when I can.

Now is a good time to snag yourself some Legacies for cheap. Again, it's about a month after the initial release AND GQ and Bowman just came out. The prices have been dropping and you, too, can own your own metal card!

As always, thanks for reading!