Just a Bit Outside Box Break #4 Results

I was able to outbid JABO proprietor Kyle4KC for the Royals in his Box Break #4 and here are the cards that I received, presented in Fave Five fashion.

FIVE:  Extras

FOUR: Authentic SPs

THREE:  2012 Heritage Royals

If you'll notice, there is no Hochevar Heritage card again this year, which I would have known had I looked at a Heritage checklist before signing up for break.  Which brings me to my next card:

TWO:  2012 Topps Heritage Hochevar

ONE:  Platinum GU/Auto

Thanks for a great break Kyle!

Fave Five: Cardboard Heavenly Draft -- The Keepers

Here are my Fave Five reasons why I'm glad I joined the Cardboard Heaven Card Draft that Cam put together to help raise funds for a Rose Bowl ticket.

FIVE:  Royals

FOUR:  Rocks

THREE: Former Brewers

TWO: Mustachioed Flamethrower

ONE: Helton Fabric

I added a slew of Rockies and Royals to my collection, including some former Brewers (Cam's team) who were shipped out to KC for Greinke and anther Helton relic.  Sure, I may have over reached a bit by spending my first and second round picks on the Jeffress and Cain autos  (#4 and #17 respectively), but I made up for it by snagging the Helton relic in the third round.

I was able to get either an autograph or relic with each of my picks through the tenth round.  It was then that I made probably my shrewdest move by picking up my Eckersley die-cut in the 11th round.  How it slipped that far, I'll never know.  

All in all it was a ton of fun for a very reasonable price.  I was able to hand-select a bakers dozen of autos and relics, as well as a pile of commons and inserts, for less than a blaster from Walmart or Target.

Later I shall post scans of the cards that will be headed to my trade bait drawer in the ol' library card file.

Thanks again Cam!

Fave Five: My Cardboard Mistress' Group Break

I picked up the Rockies in the massive group break that Spankee put together.  While I didn't walk away with a Tulo autograph, I did manage to pick up some sweet Rocks for a low price.

Here are my Fave Five from the break.

FIVE:  Hits

FOUR:  Cargo

THREE:  Helton

TWO: Tulo

ONE:  Dexter

Thanks for the great cards Spankee!

Trade Report: Group Break & Trade w/ BA Benny

When BA Benny is involved, cardboard does indeed rock. 

After his Group Break we worked out a bit of a trade, so I received a vast quantity of cards in the mail last week.

I got a jersey/auto, a manupatch, and a jersey swatch.

I got some Hochevars and Greinkes.

I got some Gordons.

And a smattering of various other Royals.

I also received some Denver Broncos cards out of the group break.

And, BA Benny was very generous and included a hefty pile of Mustache cards for my set.  The Mustache Set is really taking shape.  Thanks to BA Benny for hosting a great group break and for doing some trading with me.

Royals Prospects

I was recently digging through binders for empty pages, I stumbled upon some Royals prospects autographed cards that I'd forgotten that I had.

I got these cards from a group break that Dennis of Too Many Grandersons held a few months back before I was writing this blog (which explains why I never scanned them and why I forgot that I had them in the first place).

The first one is a Mike Montgomery 2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition rookie card (#'d 463/922). 

I believe I read recently that Mike will be pitching in Omaha to start the season and may get a call up to Kansas City later in the year.  Hopefully I'll be able to see him pitch during the handful of Omaha games I hope to get to this season.

I also found these three 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Edition autograph cards to add to my Royals prospect pitchers collection.

I don't know much about these guys, but hopefully they'll turn out to be stars.

Who says you have to bust packs to find autograph cards?  Turns out you just have to have a lousy memory like me.

Results from the Cardboard Collections Break

I bought in for two teams, the Rockies and Royals, in the February Group Break at Cardboard Collections and I'm finally getting around to showing off the highlights of the cards I received from the break.

First, the Royals.

None of the Royals are really players I collect, but I am VERY pleased with the O Pee Chee cards, as most of them will fit into the Mustache Set I'm building.

And the Rockies.

I was really hoping for results like this in the Royals category which makes me happy that I decided to take a second team in the break.  What a great group of cards these are.  I love the Helton and Tulo Elements cards.  And the "Stars N Steel" cards (which are actual pieces of sheet metal rather than the traditional cardboard) are fantastic.  These are the kinds of cards I regret missing out on during my time away from the hobby.

Be sure to check out the March Group Break.  I'm probably going to sit this one out, since 1994 Royals cards aren't a main focus of my collection.  

Cardboard Collections February Group Break

Be sure to head over to Cardboard Collections and get signed up for the February Group Break. 

The prices are great, the product is diverse, and the teams are going quickly.

This month's break will contain:

* 1992 O-Pee-Chee (36 packs)
    - low cost and will up bump up the number of cards per team
    - NOT the Premier version
    - Manny Ramirez RC

* 2005 Topps Total (36 packs)
    - Rookies include Dan Uggla, Ian Kinsler, Matt Kemp & more
    - 5 insert sets to chase
    - 1 silver parallel per pack
    - 1/1 Printing Plates and Autographs

* 2007 Upper Deck Elements Hobby (15 packs)
    - 3 mini boxes, 5 packs each, 3 cards per pack
    - 1 game used, 1 autograph, 1 game used/auto
    - base cards feature different "technology" - foil board, light f/x, clear acetate
    - Rookies include Tim Lincecum, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Adam Lind & more
 

TooManyGrandersons Group Break

One of my main goals with this blog is to use it to network with other collectors.  The blog-o-sphere is chock-full of great collectors talking about the hobby they enjoy.  Occasionally a blogger will have a contest.  Often they'll post about a successful trade with another collector.  And some even host group breaks.

And group breaks are the best, especially for player/team collectors like me.  A typical group break involves the host buying a case of cards and participants paying a nominal fee to get all the cards for their "slot".  Normally, a participant picks which team they want and they will receive all the cards from their specific team after all of the packs have been open.  But not always.  Sometimes certain product lend themselves to a more participation from the participants, which is exactly what happened with the last group break I took part in with Dennis, who blogs at Too Many Grandersons.

This was the second group break I did with Dennis hosting and the guy does a great job.  The latest break was for 2008 Razor Letterman, a product that is made up entirely of autographed manupatches.  Here is what I walked away with:

• Jeremy Beckham - Tampa Bay - #'d 13/20 - "B"  Claimed by Darkship
• Cutter Dykstra - Milwaukee - 6/20 - "R"
• Michel Inoa - Oakland - "O"
• Allan Dykstra - San Diego - 16/20 - "D"
• Rashun Dixon - Oakland - 4/5 - "I"
• Eric Hosmer - Kansas City - 1/5 - "E"
• (NOTE:  All of the above cards, except for the Hosmer, are available for trade.)

It was a fantastic break and I walked away with the letters necessary to spell my dog's name "BRODIE" and with the best Royal's card in the bunch (after a little trading with Dennis).

The break was so successful that Dennis has ordered another case and is offering up slots into what he's dubbed "Razor Letterman Case Break 2: Letter Patch Auto Boogaloo".  (And you've got to respect the guy for refusing to go with the much cliched "-palooza" tag).

I highly encourage you to head over there and take part in the fun.