How appropriate that, on the last day of the regular season, I have a good update to give. I am now profitable on everything. The million card deal and the thunderbird deal are both official money makers for me (pops champagne cork). As far as bulk goes, I still have TONS ... like ... 98% of everything, and I still haven't hardly touched anything. I did, however, sell the bulk of the "good stuff" that was immediately visibly evident from both collections.
In addition to this, I picked up another small $100 lot from a friend who came over with 2014 football stuff for the most part. I added that into a lot and they are gone now as well. Oh, and - the gamecube sold.
I went garage saling yesterday with the family for a few hours and here is what we picked up:
The picture isn't loading ... because we got nothing! We did get some menchies though, so that made it all worthwhile.
I still have a final reveal which, if all goes well, should happen in a few weeks. Would be great if the A's are still playing baseball then as well!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Custom Gypsy Queen Mini for a Friend
A friend of mine came over today to pick up 100 boxes of unopened stuff - the last of my "new" stash (the '06 to '12 boxes). I found out it was his birthday, so I thought this was perfect. He had spent a long time building the 2012 Gypsy Queen set, and a while back, he sent me a pic of him in uniform while on the phone. The pic was apparently taken by a flip phone camera, so I was a bit worried about quality.
After we talked about the 8,000 pound cardboard gorilla in my garage, I asked him if he liked red or blue autographs best. Puzzled for a second, he finally answered red.
I told him good, because I'm going to need for you to autograph this. I gave him his card
WOOOW!!!!
He loved it. I was really happy to see how much he liked it. I pulled out another copy and had him sign my version in blue so that way I have one too. Here is the card:
After we talked about the 8,000 pound cardboard gorilla in my garage, I asked him if he liked red or blue autographs best. Puzzled for a second, he finally answered red.
I told him good, because I'm going to need for you to autograph this. I gave him his card
WOOOW!!!!
He loved it. I was really happy to see how much he liked it. I pulled out another copy and had him sign my version in blue so that way I have one too. Here is the card:
Monday, September 22, 2014
Flip Quest Update!
When it rains, it pours.
Aside from selling another book, the soccer lot, and 2 boxes of cards (with one pending payment) I bought another massive lot. This was from the same guy who sold me the unopened boxes last weekend. I had asked previously if this was all he had, and he said no. He said he had about 2x as much in loose cards in boxes, etc. but could not fit them in his truck. I asked if I could see them, though he was nearly an hour away, and he said sure!
The day before I was supposed to go over there, he asked to meet. I was confused because I thought he had mentioned the rest of them could not fit in his truck. I really wanted to go to his house to see them so that way none would be left behind. His girlfriend was worried about me being stranger danger / the craigs list killer, which is completely understandable. There are a lot of creeps out there!
After church, I checked my texts, and he said the coast was clear for me to come over. I made the trip, and here is what I saw in his garage:
He sent over some pictures previously, and it looked like 150 or so long / short boxes of cards. I was hopeful that they were all complete sets, but they were not. Many boxes just had loose cards. He had a few boxes of loose cards in holders. Many of them were the typical 1987 Topps Tony Gwynn in a semi rigid, etc. But there were various game used / auto cards, inserts, rookies, etc.
He even showed me a Griffey case that supposedly contained a coin in it. The case was NASTY and was falling apart. He told me he didn't ever open it because he didn't want it to be devalued. I told him things like that are generally some type of alloy and not worth much. The only time those things seem to be worth something is if they are made of pure silver ... then they are worth the amount of silver. I told him it probably was not, or it would say that on top of the box and said it should be fine for him to open. Well, he opened it and it was pure silver, LOL. Not my strongest negotiation tactic when trying to get him to lower the price!
We agreed on price at $250 below what he was asking, and I loaded up the cardboard mobile:
I have not looked through nearly anything yet, but here are some things I did find which are possibly the best items in the whole bunch:
Sealed boxes of 2003 bowman chrome football and 2003 sweet spot baseball
1952 topps reprint set, 1988 topps tiffany set, 1991 stadium club football set and 1992 bowman baseball set
various sleeved cards
my favorites here are the dominators autographed Nolan Ryan and Don Mattingly
There was also 1986 Donruss rated rookie Canseco that was autographed & one not autographed so I'll go ahead and keep them!
These cards (and the boxes of cards I got last weekend from him) were apparently his father's who passed away. He does not collect cards at all. He also got a sweet thunderbird from which his father used to own. For documentation sake, I'll combine the wax box purchase and this purchase together & call it the Thunderbird lot.
Aside from selling another book, the soccer lot, and 2 boxes of cards (with one pending payment) I bought another massive lot. This was from the same guy who sold me the unopened boxes last weekend. I had asked previously if this was all he had, and he said no. He said he had about 2x as much in loose cards in boxes, etc. but could not fit them in his truck. I asked if I could see them, though he was nearly an hour away, and he said sure!
The day before I was supposed to go over there, he asked to meet. I was confused because I thought he had mentioned the rest of them could not fit in his truck. I really wanted to go to his house to see them so that way none would be left behind. His girlfriend was worried about me being stranger danger / the craigs list killer, which is completely understandable. There are a lot of creeps out there!
After church, I checked my texts, and he said the coast was clear for me to come over. I made the trip, and here is what I saw in his garage:
He sent over some pictures previously, and it looked like 150 or so long / short boxes of cards. I was hopeful that they were all complete sets, but they were not. Many boxes just had loose cards. He had a few boxes of loose cards in holders. Many of them were the typical 1987 Topps Tony Gwynn in a semi rigid, etc. But there were various game used / auto cards, inserts, rookies, etc.
He even showed me a Griffey case that supposedly contained a coin in it. The case was NASTY and was falling apart. He told me he didn't ever open it because he didn't want it to be devalued. I told him things like that are generally some type of alloy and not worth much. The only time those things seem to be worth something is if they are made of pure silver ... then they are worth the amount of silver. I told him it probably was not, or it would say that on top of the box and said it should be fine for him to open. Well, he opened it and it was pure silver, LOL. Not my strongest negotiation tactic when trying to get him to lower the price!
We agreed on price at $250 below what he was asking, and I loaded up the cardboard mobile:
I have not looked through nearly anything yet, but here are some things I did find which are possibly the best items in the whole bunch:
Sealed boxes of 2003 bowman chrome football and 2003 sweet spot baseball
1952 topps reprint set, 1988 topps tiffany set, 1991 stadium club football set and 1992 bowman baseball set
various sleeved cards
my favorites here are the dominators autographed Nolan Ryan and Don Mattingly
There was also 1986 Donruss rated rookie Canseco that was autographed & one not autographed so I'll go ahead and keep them!
These cards (and the boxes of cards I got last weekend from him) were apparently his father's who passed away. He does not collect cards at all. He also got a sweet thunderbird from which his father used to own. For documentation sake, I'll combine the wax box purchase and this purchase together & call it the Thunderbird lot.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Flip Quest Update
Figured I'd do a little update.
I bought a nice lot of refractors and inserts. Here are the pics. (Everything is already gone except for the soccer)
I sold another book, the black ottoman, drafting table, the Ryan Howard A&G mini hand # card, geotrax set, baseball footbal & racing lot as mentioned above, and several boxes from the wax box hoard I picked up. Here is where we are at now. I may end up picking up quite a few more cards this weekend; I'm not sure just yet.
I bought a nice lot of refractors and inserts. Here are the pics. (Everything is already gone except for the soccer)
I sold another book, the black ottoman, drafting table, the Ryan Howard A&G mini hand # card, geotrax set, baseball footbal & racing lot as mentioned above, and several boxes from the wax box hoard I picked up. Here is where we are at now. I may end up picking up quite a few more cards this weekend; I'm not sure just yet.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Another Haul?!?!
I just got back from picking up 150+ wax boxes from the 90's. Very cool stuff! Also included were sets, Nolan Ryan autographed baseball, etc. Here are some pics. You take the good with the bad! Thankfully, there was a lot of good :)
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Flip Quest Update
Not much change - just sold 4 other books for $28. Mainly showing this:
MORE PACKAGES!
I should be able to reveal what is going on soon :)
I should be able to reveal what is going on soon :)
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Starting my own card company - first offering inside!
OKAY, so maybe I'm not starting my own card company ... but I am looking and making some patch cards for the public. I've been accepting art commissions for a while now, so this is the first time I've made something cool to sell as-is like this before.
As I watch baseball games these days, I can't help but see nothing but players wearing awesome patch cards all over themselves. As the camera zooms in, I think OOOHHH ... what an awesome letter set Samardzija would make ... not necessarily Ryu, though. Or ... OOOOH what an awesome commemorative patch they are sporting this year ... would look great embedded into a 2.5x3.5 card!
Needless to say, I have been really itching to buy some game used items and make cards out of them to sell some and keep some for myself. I broke down and bought a game used Rangers baseball cap of Ivan Rodriguez to cut my teeth on.
It is a beauty and even has the written # under the bill!
But then, something terrifying happened ....
AHHHH!!!!
Up to this point, as you know, everything I have made that I show off for the most part is Canseco - and that stuff basically stays in my personal collection for my own enjoyment.
Here is the Pudge Cap Button 1/1 card:
and standing up
I'm limited of course in doing something like this because I don't have the ability to use pictures or logos, so I skipped the logos and team name, and did a digital sketch enhancement in lieu of a picture.
As I watch baseball games these days, I can't help but see nothing but players wearing awesome patch cards all over themselves. As the camera zooms in, I think OOOHHH ... what an awesome letter set Samardzija would make ... not necessarily Ryu, though. Or ... OOOOH what an awesome commemorative patch they are sporting this year ... would look great embedded into a 2.5x3.5 card!
Needless to say, I have been really itching to buy some game used items and make cards out of them to sell some and keep some for myself. I broke down and bought a game used Rangers baseball cap of Ivan Rodriguez to cut my teeth on.
It is a beauty and even has the written # under the bill!
But then, something terrifying happened ....
AHHHH!!!!
Up to this point, as you know, everything I have made that I show off for the most part is Canseco - and that stuff basically stays in my personal collection for my own enjoyment.
Here is the Pudge Cap Button 1/1 card:
and standing up
I'm limited of course in doing something like this because I don't have the ability to use pictures or logos, so I skipped the logos and team name, and did a digital sketch enhancement in lieu of a picture.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Update to previous post
UPDATE: I have now fully created 2 of them. One is a tweak from the original design, and the other is completely new.
First, I had to make the frames to house the stitched pieces
and ... voila! (chuckle) I say that as if it took a few minutes...nah ... all last night and all morning to come up with the following:
Between the Stitches Gold Holofoil Black Stitch w/soon to be gold signature
and, finally ....
Signed & Stitched Silver Holofoil Green & Gold Stitch w/soon to be Silver signature
I may just get the other 2 white faced ones signed before I actually make the cards, I'm not sure. I can always build around them later!
First, I had to make the frames to house the stitched pieces
and ... voila! (chuckle) I say that as if it took a few minutes...nah ... all last night and all morning to come up with the following:
Between the Stitches Gold Holofoil Black Stitch w/soon to be gold signature
and, finally ....
Signed & Stitched Silver Holofoil Green & Gold Stitch w/soon to be Silver signature
I may just get the other 2 white faced ones signed before I actually make the cards, I'm not sure. I can always build around them later!
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Custom Time: Between the Stitches
One card I have always loved the look of are Sweet Spot Signature cards. I think the idea was brilliant. Put a baseball cover embedded in a card, and have the player sign. Greatness!
But the question looms: Do they really use actual baseballs?
Upper Deck had various output issues. As you look at them through the years, you see different outcomes. Here is one that they did use a real baseball:
Kinda scrunched up. That isn't mind thing (though, if I had that card, I'm sure I'd be happy!) They also apparently tried a different type of material, but the signature wouldn't hold up:
I've been wanting to try my own thing for a little while now, and after several failed attempts of looking for the right type of leather for it, I thought to myself "why leather?" I knew I wanted something textured, but this past week, I picked up some material, as well as some different types of pens and markers to see how well they worked together. I love blue, red, gold and silver. The material I picked up was a piece of black, and a piece of white. It has a bit of a pearlescent tone to it, and the texture seems like it will do wonderfully as a placeholder. I even did some tests on how various inks would look after getting my creations autographed:
I think they look great! So after many, many hours of trying to perfect a baseball cover template with holes in the right area, I ended up making several to bind them together for a thick piece, so twine could stand up to them.
I got a bunch of different colors of twine ... (remember the card in the background? Everything's better at Mouschi's!)
And went to work ...
I wanted to do several flavors. Classic red on white, alternating double stitched green & gold on black, single alternating stitched red and blue on white and finally, black on black.
After that, I did the design work, and had my son model them ... as glasses ...
Here is how it all came out! Green & Gold on black w/gold holofoil(I'm starting out with this because I like it the least)
Red & Blue on white w/silver holofoil
Black on black with gold holofoil
Here is another shot to give you an idea of how the texture is (man this is gonna look sweet signed in gold!)
Finally, classic red on white with silver holofoil...
If you look closely in the logo, you see I did something on it and made it look like the logo was being stitched ...
The ball in the foreground is also autographed by Canseco (thanks to photoshop!)
As a matter of fact, the entire picture is manipulated. This is a few pictures, with various treatments. It initially was a picture of a ball close up, and a picture of a zoomed out stadium with a clear sky. I merged the two, to make it look like a picture was taken of a Canseco autographed baseball from the outfield, which shows the rest of the stadium from the baseball's perspective ... with some pretty wicked looking sky effects. You can't really see what all is going on too well when you are just looking at the pictures of the cards, so here is a shot of the photoshop work ...
I have not fully produced them yet - I just staged them here to show what they would look like. The odds are, I will be creating 1-3 more different designs so I can have different types of sweet spot type of cards. For now though, I really like how the design work came together on this first one! Needless to say, I cannot wait to get these puppies signed.
Kinda scrunched up. That isn't mind thing (though, if I had that card, I'm sure I'd be happy!) They also apparently tried a different type of material, but the signature wouldn't hold up:
I've been wanting to try my own thing for a little while now, and after several failed attempts of looking for the right type of leather for it, I thought to myself "why leather?" I knew I wanted something textured, but this past week, I picked up some material, as well as some different types of pens and markers to see how well they worked together. I love blue, red, gold and silver. The material I picked up was a piece of black, and a piece of white. It has a bit of a pearlescent tone to it, and the texture seems like it will do wonderfully as a placeholder. I even did some tests on how various inks would look after getting my creations autographed:
I think they look great! So after many, many hours of trying to perfect a baseball cover template with holes in the right area, I ended up making several to bind them together for a thick piece, so twine could stand up to them.
I got a bunch of different colors of twine ... (remember the card in the background? Everything's better at Mouschi's!)
And went to work ...
I wanted to do several flavors. Classic red on white, alternating double stitched green & gold on black, single alternating stitched red and blue on white and finally, black on black.
After that, I did the design work, and had my son model them ... as glasses ...
Here is how it all came out! Green & Gold on black w/gold holofoil(I'm starting out with this because I like it the least)
Red & Blue on white w/silver holofoil
Black on black with gold holofoil
Here is another shot to give you an idea of how the texture is (man this is gonna look sweet signed in gold!)
Finally, classic red on white with silver holofoil...
If you look closely in the logo, you see I did something on it and made it look like the logo was being stitched ...
The ball in the foreground is also autographed by Canseco (thanks to photoshop!)
As a matter of fact, the entire picture is manipulated. This is a few pictures, with various treatments. It initially was a picture of a ball close up, and a picture of a zoomed out stadium with a clear sky. I merged the two, to make it look like a picture was taken of a Canseco autographed baseball from the outfield, which shows the rest of the stadium from the baseball's perspective ... with some pretty wicked looking sky effects. You can't really see what all is going on too well when you are just looking at the pictures of the cards, so here is a shot of the photoshop work ...
I have not fully produced them yet - I just staged them here to show what they would look like. The odds are, I will be creating 1-3 more different designs so I can have different types of sweet spot type of cards. For now though, I really like how the design work came together on this first one! Needless to say, I cannot wait to get these puppies signed.
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