It Arrived - MEOW!

I've been surprised that Alex DeBrincat Young Guns have sustained their value.  The last three years Young Guns prices have dropped on all but the top one or two players once the set made it to ePack.  They have still plummeted on the low-tier players, but this season there are a dozen or so that have remained higher.  I have my theory on why, but I'll save that for a Bean's Ballcard Blog post.

As luck would have it, I searched for this card with the most recently listed and found this one.  It cost less than the COMC asking price AND had free shipping.  I went ahead and snagged it.  I feel that eventually prices will drop and the $11 I paid will just seem stupid, but who knows?

2017-18 Upper Deck #221 Alex DeBrincat

This card doubles my Alex DeBrincat collection.  The fact that I have just two cards speaks volumes about how I feel about modern cards.  I'm cutting down on the amount of money I spend and the percentages have moved toward vintage and spending money for online trading shipping.

If you shop online and haven't signed up and used ebates yet, you're missing out.  I also use it on eBay to get money back from purchases there.  Between referrals and cash back, I've gotten over $150 in a year (including $15 back on one Black Friday purchase last week).  FREE CARDS!

If you're on Twitter, please give me a follow.  You can also find me on Trading Card Database.  I love trading cards, when it makes sense.  Happy collecting!

#UDRAK from That Sports Card Show and Upper Deck

Recently David Anton of Upper Deck was on the "That Sports Card Show" podcast talking about social media and a bit of ePack.  They gave away a few (ten, I believe) #UDRAK maildays and I was fortunate enough to be selected.  I saw tweets over the weekend that people had received them and I figured today was my day. 

Sure enough, when I returned to my desk from my Monday meeting, two envelopes (I will post the other tomorrow) were on it.  It doesn't matter if I'm at work, I always open bubble envelopes immediately. 

The winners were contacted on ePack (you had to have an ID to win) and asked what we collect.  I'm a Blackhawks guy and Upper Deck didn't disappoint.  I don't know all the details of the distribution, but a signed Tyler Motte oversized Young Guns is a very cool piece to add to my collection.  With the NHL Draft logo on it, I believe it was likely signed at the draft in Chicago this year. 

I'm not sure exactly what the Marvel piece is.  I will definitely give it to a friend for his son that's into the comic thing.  A highly underappreciated item that companies send sometimes are pens.  I work an office job and use them all the time.  I also keep track of mine and there's no doubt that I will use this one until it's out of ink. 

Finally, two packs of Series 1 were included.  So far I've only purchased two blasters but I do want to complete the set.  Hopefully inside is a handful of cards that I can use for my set. 

YOUNG GUNS!  They are 1:6 packs and I beat the odds here.  While I really wanted to pull an Alex DeBrincat, I need this one for my set, making it a win.  I also needed the Jakob Chychrun for my set.  I can't complain at 25% cards I needed in a pack that I paid nothing for!

Not only did I beat the odds in pack one with the Young Guns, there was a Paul Martin Clear Cut Parallel in my second pack.  Those are 1:72 packs and it's only the second one I've pulled from a pack.  I opened three boxes last season and got one, falling right at the odds.  In other good news, I needed the other seven cards for my set. 

Thank you for the contest and the cards, The Sports Card Show, David and Upper Deck.  While I may have some gripes time to time, I truly believe that none of the other card manufacturers comes anywhere close to taking care of their customers.  Upper Deck's social media presence has a lot to do with it.  You can disagree, it's just what I see.  The others could, and should, learn from Upper Deck.

If you shop online and haven't signed up and used ebates yet, you're missing out.  I also use it on eBay to get money back from purchases there.  Between referrals and cash back, I've gotten over $150 in a year (including $15 back on one Black Friday purchase last week).  FREE CARDS!  If you're on Twitter, please give me a follow.  Happy collecting!

So Close

Yesterday the Auston Matthews Canvas Young Guns that I submitted to BGS came back.  While I'm thrilled it came back a 10, I can't help feeling just a little disappointed.

It came back three 10 subgrades and the fourth is a 9.5.  Just one small, minor point away from the black label.  Ah well.  Now I just need to find a buyer.

If you shop online and haven't signed up and used ebates yet, you're missing out.  I also use it on eBay to get money back from purchases there.  Between referrals and cash back, I've gotten over $100 in about seven months.  FREE CARDS!  If you're on Twitter, please give me a follow.  Happy collecting!

COMC Mail - Young Guns

On an earlier post, I showed the Stephen Johns Gold Foil Rainbow Young Guns.  There were other Young Guns in the shipment.

Yes, I picked up this many Stephen Johns Young Guns.  As cheaply as they can be had on COMC, I can (hopefully) sell them at shows and make a few bucks.

2016-17 Upper Deck Exclusives #481 Stephen Johns

On the Upper Deck ePack site, I got a hard-to-find, and desirable, card.  I sent everyone that had a Johns Exclusives an offer for it and one trader took it!

2016-17 Upper Deck Silver Foil #481 Stephen Johns

This was a card that I "made" by combining five Young Guns cards.  Most of the silvers I combined into golds, but I needed one copy of this.

2016-17 Upper Deck #225 Jesse Puljujarvi

Jesse Puljujarvi is a card that was very desirable on ePack, but I didn't feel people were offering enough to get from me.  So, I elected to send him home.

2016-17 Upper Deck #451 Patrik Laine

If you're not going to get an Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine is probably the card you want to pull.  There was no reason for me to attempt trading this on ePack, because I didn't want to trade down.  I already had two Auston Matthews Young Guns, so I didn't need to trade up.  

I love ePack.  

If you shop online and haven't signed up and used ebates yet, you're missing out.  I also use it on eBay to get money back.  Between referrals and cash back, I've gotten over $100 in about seven months.  FREE CARDS!  If you're on Twitter, please give me a follow.  Happy collecting!

Guns of the Young Variety

Love ePack or hate it, it has some advantages if you're working on sets.  I was able to pick up a bunch of the ones I needed for my set as well as Blackhawks for my collection.  I could have waited.  Prices are even cheaper now (it's a great time to buy on COMC) and then there's the whole part where I'm not looking to finish off the set any longer.  OOPS!

Nonetheless, I figured I'd scan 'em and make a post out of them.

 I picked up nine copies of Tyler Motte at good prices.

I thought I'd picked up a few more of these than I had.  Right before putting this post together I picked up three more.

What I'll likely do is put most of these into the set and look to sell of the almost complete set the next time that I set up at a show.

Happy collecting!

Upper Deck, Parkies and Reds, Oh My!

In effort to complete two sets (2016-17 Parkhurst and Upper Deck Series 1), I posted a thread on Sports Card Forum in attempt to make some trades.

Once we had exchanged info on what we each had and needed, it turned out that Billy needed a few more than I did and he mentioned that he had some Young Guns if we needed it to even out.  I asked if he had any of the 2016-17 Parkhurst Red parallels since I'm acquiring cards for a set.  So I took those on, along with a Tyler Motte Young Guns and we both came out a lot closer to our sets!

Now that either SCF has added the "Set Building" areas in each sport, I feel that it's much easier to work on trades for sets.  Or, if I have a lot of cards from a set that I don't want to complete, I can look to find someone that needs them on there.  Well done, SCF!

Mailday from The (Pedestrian) Collector

A few weeks back, I sent Chris of The (Pedestrian) Collector a few cards to get him closer to completing some sets.  I did it to help, not to get anything in return.  I would find that odd.  It's like forcing a trade.

He did send me back some cards, two that I knew were coming.

2015-16 Upper Deck Canvas #C19 Jonathan Toews

2015-16 Upper Deck Canvas #C20 Duncan Keith

• The Upper Deck Canvas cards that I love so much?  Check and check.
• Blackhawks cards with players holding the Stanley Cup? Check,
• Blackhawks cards relating to the outdoor games? Check.
• Players selected for the NHL Top 100 Greatest Players?  Check and check.  

That's a lot of checks. 

2010-11 Upper Deck French #214 Nick Leddy 

• One of the no-longer Blackhawks that I'd most love the to reacquire? Check,
• Upper Deck French cards that I still wish they produced? Check.
• YOUNG GUNS! Check. 

1996-97 Ultra Gold Medallion #G31 Eric Daze

1995-96 Parkhurst International Crown Collection Silver Series 2 #16 Eric Daze

2002-03 BAP First Edition #317 Eric Daze

• My favorite player after the cheap-ass Bill Wirtz had the team trade Jeremy Roenick? Check.
• A guy that wore one of my old football numbers? Check.
• Cards I don't have?  Check!

That was a lot of Blackhawks goodness in one PWE.  Thank you, Chris!