2 Packs of Tribute - Card #5

We enter the top 5 with a kid... well, more like The Kid...

Great looking card. For some reason, despite the Astros always battling the Mets in the mid-80's, the Mets were my second favorite team. Maybe it's just the uniforms or maybe because that's where Nolan started his career, but something just stuck in my head that the Mets were an OK team to root for. Gary Carter also was on a lot of cardboard in my youth so I saw him a lot and I never realized his impact on the game until he was elected to the HOF and I was able to look back on his whole career.

11 All Star teams? Wow, that's a lot. Had a great 1986 postseason for sure, I only wish Mike Scott had gotten a shot in game 7, the Astros would have totally beaten the Red Sox as well and without Buckner's error!

Speaking of Red Sox, tomorrow is going to be another awesome card!

2 Packs of Tribute - Card #6

Here we go with card #6... sorry I missed one over the weekend, the wife and I made a spontaneous trip to Pensacola beach and ended up staying the weekend there. A much needed mini-vacation with some friends!

Alright, onward to the #6 card in the countdown...

Not too shabby. Time will still tell, in my opinion whether Yu has all it takes to have a successful career but so far he has impressed. Too bad he couldn't get Marwin Gonzalez out in his first outing this year.

221 K's in his rookie campaign, got a taste of the playoffs in his rookie season as well. Hopefully he stays healthy and can keep up the success...

And it looks like I may have to work on this scanner, those scans are deplorable!

Stay tuned tomorrow as we move into the top 5! Only 2 more base cards left, a parallel and two hits!

2 Packs of Tribute - Card #7

Next up, a HOF'er and a man known for his affinity for fried chicken...

Good ol' Wade Boggs. You gotta wonder how he'd have done in the modern game where power is valued more than consistency. The guy could hit!

It always struck me as odd that he professed to wanting to be in the HOF as a Tampa Ray. Glad the Hall had different plans.  Again, another slick looking card!

2 Packs of Tribute - Card #8

Next up, we have our first "veteran" inclusion from my 2 packs...

John Smoltz was a thorn in my side as an Astros fan for years. He was a great pitcher and I'm sure he'll find his way into the HOF in a couple years.

Wow, didn't realize he was the franchise leader in both K's and Saves. Even more interesting, he stole 3 bases in the postseason in his career. Never realized John was a base stealer! Crazy!

These tribute cards look slick, I don't think I'm going to have a problem moving the base cards.... the hits, well, I hope there are fans of the guys I ended up with!

2 Packs of Tribute - Card #9

Here is #9, the card that I thought was just SLIGHTLY better than the Hanley. And only because it's a better photo... in my opinion... :-)

Joey Bats... the guy can hit. You've got to wonder how the Pirates missed on this guy's potential, wait, you don't have to wonder, it's the Pirates and for years their talent evaluators were on crack and the executives just kept counting the profits.

24 outfield assists in only 206 games? Impressive.

By the way, just to clear the air, there isn't a single card in these two packs that I'm keeping so if you see something you're interested in, make me an offer!

2 Packs of Topps Tribute... 10 Cards... Another Countdown!

Alright, so I figured this might get the creative juices flowing again...

I went to the card shop today after work and was tempted by Tribute. There is a Biggio auto that, now that I think about it, I could have bought 2 of instead of 2 packs of this stuff... grr... anyways... I like ripping packs... So I bought two with the funds I had available. I figured I'd do another Dimwit Countdown!

Without further ado, here is card #10... supposedly the "worst" card from the two packs:

Hanley... such a promising future a couple years ago... now, who knows... It's a sweet looking card though, but of all the subjects in my 10 cards, he is the least awesome of the group in my humble opinion. I'm sure Greg, Speigel and NightOwl will disagree...

I decided to scan the backs as well... I think my scanner is a little off, but nice looking cards! Topps does pretty well with Tribute.

Quiet Lately...

Sorry guys, I just haven't had much to post about lately... kind of in a funk, don't really know what to write about and I'd rather not just get on here and ramble. I've got a trade night coming up next weekend, maybe something will happen there to ignite a spark...

Topps Redemption Team Sucks

So, I got a notification that I had a Topps Redemption that was not going to be able to be fulfilled for a 2012 Triple Threads Danny Valencia sepia auto/relic. I wasn't all too concerned about that card in particular so I called and asked for a equitable replacement and since the Astros (per the redemption specialist) "are so unpopular right now" that it shouldn't be a problem getting an Astro in replacement. So I was naturally thinking, "Cool, maybe an Altuve from this year's triple threads!" No, not so much...

So many things wrong here, 1) Brett Wallace is no Danny Valencia. 2) This is from LAST YEAR, 2011! At least give me a current year card! 3) This is numbered higher than a sepia, so less rare. 4) There is no way this card is worth as much as the card I had redeemed.

The only saving grace is that this is a card I didn't already have. Brett's signature sucks completely. Topps, score this one as another instance where your team of decision makers sucks. Geez, Brett Wallace... at least he hit a HR in his first game after we demoted him to AAA!

Mail Day Monday!

Not too much came yesterday in the mail, but I did get this from an eBay pick up via @brentandbecca:

This is my second Altuve plate from Gypsy Queen, the other is a mini and they are both the Magenta plates. I am hoping to add more, but we'll see how many hit the open market and/or eBay.

Have a good day everyone!

A Couple of Blasters... of Americana...

During our weekly grocery shopping trip to Target, we usually always stop by the card aisle just to see if somehow a blaster of 2011 Gypsy Queen showed up... well, I've had no such luck but the Hotwit has had copious amounts of luck finding $11 blasters of 2009 Americana. So we snatched 2 more this week. Basically you get a whole bunch of base cards (useless at this point because we have the set about 4 times over), an insert and a "hit"... usually a movie poster relic, which is what my wife is after anyways... so here's the loot:

Our inserts were these "Proofs"... which I've learned is just a fancy way for them to throw some serial numbers on a card and call them something different. Both #'ed out of 250. Duval has been in various movies, including the creepy bunny in Donnie Darko. Kleiser is a director, his credits including Big Top Pee Wee, Honey I Blew Up The Kid, The Blue Lagoon, oh and some movie called Grease.

Next up, the the hits:

A "Proof" of a relic! Nice. This is numbered /100. Shelton was on Dallas, was a Playboy cover girl and was Miss USA in 1970, not to mention 1st runner up in the Miss Universe pageant. I'm sure the Plutonians were upset at finishing 2nd runner up, but they can just deal with it. This will find it's way onto eBay. Finally, the 12 Angry Men Movie Poster relic, on the back is a swatch of clothing from Henry Fonda and is numbered /500. If anyone has movie poster relics to trade, let me know!

Well, have a good day everyone!

More Mail! And "State of the Blog" news...

Well, got a couple more packages in the mail yesterday... first up ALTUVE!!!!

The green border parallels are my favorite in the 2013 GQ set, numbered /99, the green just looks great. Crazy to think I have the red magenta printing plate that helped make this card! That being said, this is the only Jose Altuve Mini I have from 2013, so please trade me some if you have any other variations!

Next up, Nolan Ryan...

Wow, I saw this on eBay a bit over priced, I offered what I thought was fair and the dealer accepted without counter offers! Love it when that happens. The way it should be, both sides get what they feel is a fair deal for a card and both walk away happy.

Ok, so I ran my mouth (fingers) on twitter the other day about my frustrations with the hobby... well, it's all very true. I'm tired and frustrated with Topps; their offerings, their attitude and their monopoly. I'm out of "buyer" mode. No more running to the card shop and picking up multiple hobby boxes at Trade Night. Last month, I spent $50 total on various packs and specific cards and left a lot less frustrated.

I am moving my money into COMC, eBay and maybe a couple of other sites. I'm focusing my money on my collection and not participating in the Topps Lottery that favors the deep pocketed business man who doesn't care about the card, only that it makes him money. I want to finish the 2011 Gypsy Queen Autograph set, and that's going to take some serious funding. If I see another product like 2011 GQ, I want to save for a few months and buy a case for myself and try and do a master set again. I have things I want that can't be accomplished by wasting money and time on random crap.

What does this mean? Well, the blog is probably going to get neglected. Posts will be fewer and further between. My job and life these days doesn't leave me a lot of time to blog, so if I can't get it posted in 10-15 minutes while my wife gets ready for work, then it's probably not going to get posted that day. My group breaks are another loss. I've gotten a TON of positive feedback from participants who wish I wasn't doing away with them. But a few months ago, it became "work" to me. It wasn't fun anymore. I just can't keep up the pace with everything else going on in life. (Those of you with kids, I don't know how you do it, I certainly wouldn't be able to...).

I will do my best to keep my trade bait folders up-to-date and my Keepers file with all my Astros stuff as well. I will respond as quickly as I can to inquiries and trade requests. I want to stay active in trades and random send-outs to you guys. But also don't be upset if it takes me a couple weeks to get around to posting the trade loot. As much as I've been tempted to just hang it up, quit collecting again and find other avenues for my time, I enjoy the camaraderie of the blogging community too great to walk away from. I think I've drained the market of great Astros cards, but hopefully it's replenished at some point (I'm starring you dead in the eye Topps: make some freakin' Astros cards already!).

Alright, talk at you later Dimwit Brigade.

Mail Call!!!!!

Got lots in the mail this week that I wasn't able to post because of the group break posts and general malaise... alright, that was a big word for me, that doesn't happen very often... ok, back to the post...

Before I get going on mail, I do have something I'm trying to sell for a buddy of mine. It's PSA authenticated as you can see in the scan. He'd like to get $160 for it (including shipping). So let me know if you are interested.

Alright, onto the mail...

First up, a contest winning from Twitter:

Danny Jackson anyone?

Next up, Topps sent this to me certified... not sure why... they spent more on postage than it cost to buy it off eBay right now... whatever...

Finally, a SWEEEEEET pick up from eBay!

An Altuve Magenta Mini Printing Plate from 2013 Topps Gypsy Queen! Awesome! I have another one on the way!

Top 10 Cards From A Re-Pack - #3, #2 and #1

You thought I forgot about these, didn't you!?!?!

Ok, so I kind of did, after cleaning up after the group break, I found myself with a small stack of three cards and couldn't remember why and then I did remember, and then decided it wasn't worth drawing it out any further... so without further ado...

#3 card from the repack:

 Miguel Sano is a big prospect for the Twins... wonder if Crackin' Wax needs this one.

#2 card from the repack:

A nifty Joe Morgan reprint... even if Joe is a jerk, this is from Archives. Hey Joe, the camera is over here... 

And finally, the #1 card from the Topps Re-pack!

And AUTO!

From CHROME!!!

A RC!!!!

And a MET!

Can't complain with a hit from a re-pack product and especially when that his is an autograph! It's 100% trade bait for any of you Nieuwenhuis or Mets collectors!

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #10

Final box of the break everyone... as I checked yesterday, about half of you should have gotten your cards in the mail so this post may be a mute point... but here we go anyways (let's hope YouTube doesn't eat my upload again like it did the last two).

Scans after the page break!

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #9

Here's the video...

Scans after the page break...

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #8

Here's today's video:


Scans after the page break:

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #7

Ok everyone, got it fixed... here's the video:

Scans after the page break...

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #6

Here we go with box #6:


As always, scans after the page break.

April Trade Night Pick Ups

I was on a limited budget this month, so really I only bought a limited number of packs of Gypsy Queen. Honestly I don't know if I even had the strength to make it through another whole box, so probably a good thing I was limited in my budget... anyways, here's what I managed to pull from my packs:

Not too shabby: Gose (was an Astro on paper briefly before a trade to Toronto for Brett Wallace), Verlander and Marcum. But the Gose won me the pack war and netted me this:

Yea, that's an 8x10 of Frank Robinson (certified). Sorry for the bad camera work, but my phone insisted on a flash. This photo/auto is very appropriate, as you'll see in the GQ break videos coming down the line. I've said too much...

Next up, a friend of mine at the shop, Mr. Tucker, pulled the following card and make a trade for a football card he wanted a little more. I probably got the better end of the deal, but that's how Mr. Tucker operates, never lets you get the sour end and he had no interest in it anyways. I thought it fit perfectly in my wife's Hollywood collection!

Speaking of the wife, luck was on her side tonight. She won the Door Prize drawing and got the following:

That's a Charlie Ward autographed FSU mini helmet (and some crap on my desk... some would say even the helmet is crap, but that's beside the point). If anyone is interested, she is looking to deal it! So let the offers come pouring in now...

Another fun night at trade night. Glad the wife was able to get in on the fun as well!

Stay tuned tomorrow for box number 6!

Mail Day - Epic Astros Pick-Up Lot - Topps Redemption

So, I recently sniped a big lot of Astros off eBay for the opening bid of $19.99. Let's see if I overpaid...

Carlos Lee relic... meh... Carlos Beltran Sweet Threads and Dual Relic = AWESOME; the Dual Relic is #'ed out of 100!... The flip side of the Roy Oswalt on the left has a relic, so a decent couple of cards, and the Oswalt is #'ed /50. Nice!

Jason Lane, failed "big time" prospect from a few years ago, I don't mind picking these two up as I didn't already have them, the one on the left is #'ed out of 75 and the other is /250. Not bad. Adam Everett is back in the organization as an instructor, glad to add an auto of him, Miller and Taveras. Miller is /250, Taveras is /500. Not too shaby. Oye, more Carlos Lee, let's pretend those aren't there... Morgan Ensberg, the only knock I have on this card is that the jersey swatch key hole should be a home place and not a curved cutout. #'ed out of 1000, if you make that many, why number them?

Starting to get to the meat of the deal. Berkman Bomb Squad from Pristine, LOVE IT! Berkman from UD Etchings, LOVE IT! I love the branded logo and design. Don't care if neither is numbered. Awesome. Biggio bat card, awesome. On the back, it shows two bats and a pair of cleats and says "This is a photo of the actual item from which this swatch was taken." Wow, great work getting that wood out of those cleats Playoff... and I thought Topps was the only incompetent card company. Passing The Torch Bagwell, you guessed it, AWESOME. Love the design and this one is /250. Finally, Roger Clemens, my knock on this is that it's obviously a Yankees swatch. It's /165 so I'm not complaining!!!!

Finally, the card that initially drew me to this lot... yea, I'm showing the back first:

#'ed 8 out of 100!!! Woo hoo!!! Hidalgo and Lane = meh... Jose Cruz??? AWESOME! And a piece of 80's Astros jersey!!! SWEEEET! Ok, here is the front:

Bagwell, Berkman and Beltran? Did someone say Killer Bees? Haha! I absolutely love this card! My only conundrum is where to file it in the binder... me thinks it will go with my Bagwells!

I more than got my money's worth. 19 auto/relics for $20... can't beat that even on COMC! I will be keeping my eye out for deals like this on eBay from now on! Any time you can win an auction for the opening bid with no competition it's great! Thanks for stopping by!

Wait wait wait... I almost forgot the redemption I got in the mail today!!!!

Can't complain about waiting for that one! Nice auto and such a shiny card! Up for trade!

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #5

Here's the video!


As always, scans after the page break...

Group Break Update - COMPLETE SET RANDOMIZATION

If you want to see who won a complete set, (3) total to be given away as part of the break, head on over to Plaschke, Thy Blog Name Is Too Long and check the top three names on the randomization!

I won't spoil it here in case any of you want to wait until the end of the break to check it out, but congrats to the three guys who won! I'm so glad we were able to do the break this way!

I have finished sorting and everyone who chose "share" in the base set are getting a nice stack of about 25 cards or so to help you build your base set!

All I have to do now is finish my scanning for each box, sort the SP's, Hits and #'ed cards, and then start packaging up these cards! It's going to be one heck of a mail day! Hoping to get some, if not all of these cards out this weekend, we'll see what I actually get in the mail. If nothing else, they'll start hitting the PO early next week! You may get your cards before the last video posts!!! Haha! Wouldn't that be crazy??? :)

Have a great night everyone!

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #4

Here we go with box #4 of the break:

Scans after the break...

I've Got Mail!!! And A Group Break Update

Got some mail today... a few eBay packages...

 The 2012 GQ mini set is COMPLETE!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!

 I picked up all three of these in order to get the auto, I now have duplicates of the relics, so if anyone wants to trade for them, by all means...

Finally, this beauty:

Not too shabby of a mail day!


Alright those in the Case Break... I have sorted all the base cards (OMG I AM TIRED OF SORTING) and we have 3... count 'em 3 base sets to giveaway. Now, in order to facilitate me getting these out on time I have already asked an independent third party to do the randomization and post it to his blog, as soon as he does I will post a link to the results. Unfortunately this will be a tell for some of you, as there will be 11 extra entries into the prize pool for "hitless" teams. So many of you will be able to figure out pretty easily if you ended up with a hit or not... but I need to get it done so I can start prepping for shipment. I have my parents in town next weekend and work is kicking my butt. So, sorry if it spoils anything for you guys going forward. Good night everyone, box 4 to be posted tomorrow!

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #3

Here we go with box number three... for this one, I beg you to watch the video... you don't have to but please do... :)


At this point, I've actually got all the boxes busted and started sorting the massive pile of cards... this is going to take me a while, thus the 1 video a day... gives you all time to catch up and hopefully I can have these shipped out before next weekend.

Scans after the page break...

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #2

Here's the video:

As always, scans after the page break...

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen - Group Case Break - Box #1

Here's the video:

Scans of the hits and such after the page break:

2013 Gypsy Queen Group Case Break ---- UPDATE

The case shipped yesterday! Per UPS, it should be delivered today. Now, temper your expectations because they will deliver it to my apartment complex office, and sometimes they are closed by the time I get home from work, so there's no telling when I'll actually get lucky enough to pick it up. But hopefully they are still open when I get home today and I can at least get one video posted tonight.

Additionally, I have heard back from everyone in the SHARE/KEEP question. We are set and the spreadsheet is updated. Looks like everyone should get a nice number of cards overall. A big thanks to you guys who have the "big" teams like the Yanks. Spreading your dups around will help guys like me get a few extra cards. Lord knows I don't need 10 copies of Jose Altuve all for my lonesome!

So excited for this, my mind has been all over the place trying to envision what our case hit will be!!! Also, just as an FYI, I don't know if I spelled it out in the rules exactly but printing plates are considered hits. Any "Gypsy King" or "Gypsy Queen" cards will be randomly assigned at the end of the break and will not count towards "hits" if they are the autographed versions.

Hope to have some pack busting done tonight everyone!!!!

Top 10 Cards From A Re-Pack - #4

Here's today's card... I picked this one because he's one of those highly touted prospects that I had actually heard of (who wasn't an Astro)... Francisco Lindor:

The foil doesn't scan so well on these... nice looking card, I do like the design of the Bowman base product this year. Wish it was the Chrome version, those look even better!

Sponsored Post - Dress United Custom Tees - Product Review

Recently, Jessie at Dress United contacted me to see if I would use and review his website to design a custom made t-shirt for my blog. I gladly accepted, and as many of you participated, I ran a contest of my own to pick a slogan for my t-shirt. Jeffrey won and his shirt is on it's way to him!

First of all, let me start by saying that the actual site could not be easier to use. Design options included regular & long sleeve tees, sweatshirts, women's shirts, and hoodies. Within each, there are layers of pricing depending on your budget, there was the "budget" option for big bulk purchases, "Classic" for your standard Hanes t-shirt look and "Fashion" for the higher end shoppers who dress to impress! Each had their pros and cons of course and I settled on the "Classic" as I wanted a T-shirt I could wear every day.

Next, simply pick a color of t-shirt. There are 24 base colors to choose from, so options a plenty. Add text to the front and/or the back. Finally, decide if you want some clip art or a custom image uploaded to be placed on the shirt. There are easy to use tools along the way that will allow you to center your image/text and allow you to see exactly what the shirt will look like upon completion. In a hurry and need to come back to a half-completed shirt later? No problem, you can send a link of your design to your e-mail to access later. After that, it's simply a matter of choosing how many you need and what size(s) to include in the order.

The only "con" that I'd have is the type of Hanes shirt they use, the tag is located along the bottom seam of the t-shirt and constantly flips out. I simply cut it out.

Overall, the design and order process couldn't be easier. Here is the shirt I ended up with, sorry for the slightly less-than-desirable photography!

Front            and           Back

I really like how it came out! I've been proudly wearing it around since I got it in and it makes for a fun way to get your blog some attention as well. Hopefully Jeffrey wears his to card shows and the like, people will be sure to flood him with offers for Astros cards!!!! Haha!

Jessie and the fine people over at DressUnited.com want my readers to share in the joy of these shirts and are offering a 30% discount to all my readers, just use the coupon code: BLOG30OFF4U at check out and you'll get the discount! I'd love to see shirts popping up all over the blog-o-sphere showing off our handy work! Thanks Jessie and thanks DressUnited.com!

Top 10 Cards From A Re-Pack - #6 and #5

Alright, I missed a day yesterday after posting all my awesome mail stuff... so I'll knock out two cards in one post... plus I was super excited to watch my Astros beat the Rangers last night... Lastros? More like FIRSTros... muahahah!

#6 best card from the re-pack:

Juan Marichal from Heritage. Love the high leg kick... And somehow Topps was able to use "Colts" on this card, but couldn't secure the rights to use it in this year's Heritage for the short prints????? Stop with the lies Topps, you just wanted another reason to SP a Bryce Harper card... bastards...

#7 best card from the re-pack:

A spiffy green parallel from Bowman Platinum. I love it when a card parallel matches a team's color. Sweet lookin' card of a perennial All-Star.

Alright, only 2 days until GQ hits the market! Hopefully I'll have the cards Thursday, Friday at the latest from Atlanta Sports Cards!