1987 Topps Collectors Kit

I'm continually amazed at some of the stuff you can find just by digging through junk piles at the card shop. I found this randomly one day while buying some packs and some vintage singles. With the $9.99 price tag, I knew I couldn't pass it up.

The box claims it contains the following ... a Topps 3-ring binder, 10 plastic pages for said binder, a price guide, 44 collectors series cards, 20 stickers, a guide to collecting cards, and 160 baseball cards. Hopefully, everything that is supposed to be there is there considering this thing wasn't sealed.

First up, the binder. For as old as this binder is, it's in remarkably good shape and still holds up pretty well. The thing I really like about this is the collage on the front with cards from different eras. I'm thinking this is a good binder for some of my higher end commons

Hey look! A huge pile of 1987 Topps! I'll admit I wasn't really excited to see these as I tore into a box of it just recently but still, I'll take what I can get.

There were a few winners though in the pile. A proverbial mid-to-late 80s All-Star team with Cal Ripken Jr., Reggie Jackson, Dennis Eckersley, Mike Schmidt, Cecil Fielder, Pete Rose, Ryne Sandberg, etc. The cards themselves didn't show much corner damage and were in pretty good shape considering they'd been sitting loose in this kit before being unearthed by me.

Here's the packs of stickers that were included. I wonder if the offer is still valid for me to win a trip to 1987 spring training? And yes, I know that there is a Panini sticker pack in with the Topps sticker packs.

I couldn't get a good shot of the stickers but suffice to say that it can't be all bad when you get a Rob Deer and an Expos sticker, right?

These are the so-called "collectors cards", mainly a sub-set of some sort featuring nothing but Hall of Famers. I pulled all the Reds cards out for my Reds collection, the rest, unfortunately, will live the rest of their cardboard lives in my mixed commons binder.

The price guide was pretty basic, nothing to the level of your monthly Beckett magazine, with just prices from the basic sets. The collectors guide was pretty simple as well, making note to expand your collection by attending card show, shops, and swap meets. Swap meets? I couldn't tell you the last time I heard of a swap meet.

The last thing in the box was the pages. I won't provide a picture as they were your standard, 9-pocket, side load pages. Yes, side load, not top load. 

Overall, this was a nice find for ten bucks. I was amazed to find out that the thing was pretty much intact when I opened it at home. Hopefully I can find some other interesting things on my next card shop visit.

My First COMC Order

Just before the 4th of July weekend, I splurged and treated myself to some cards from COMC. They came in the mail the day before I left for a July 4th excursion in Akron but I didn't have a blog at that time, so I couldn't share them. Now I do, so here they are ...

My order consisted of five cards, one from each sport I collect. It wasn't a big order, but just big enough to test out their service. Also, I splurged for the expedited shipping, which was only $4.99.

Here's my order:

2013 Bowman Sterling Prospect Certified Autographs - Michael Lorenzen

I ordered this since Lorenzen is a good young pitcher and this will fit nicely in my Reds collection. Funny thing though, I saw this exact same card at the card shop in Dayton I frequent and it was nearly $10 more than I paid for it on COMC.

2014-15 Upper Deck Series Two - Martin Brodeur

We're big fans of hockey in my house and it saddened us last year when Brodeur left the Devils where we were sure he'd retire. This is only one of a handful of cards that are out there that feature him as a member of the Blues and I intend on collecting all of them. I figured the cheapest one available would be a good place to start.

2006-07 In the Game Heroes and Prospects - Mark Messier

I hadn't planned on picking this up as I though it was just another Messier card, but then I looked closer. See the jersey? Yep, that's Messier as a member of the Cincinnati Stingers! Messier as a Stinger? I had no clue that even happened. Definitely had to get this as it's a nice addition to my hockey collection. My goal is to eventually start collecting all of the Stingers cards available. That'll be easier said then done however, as hockey singles are hard to come by in my area.

2008 Leaf Limited Threads - Cris Collinsworth

I just recently got into football collecting so I'm starting with Bengals cards and going from there. I'm not really a big football fan, but do keep up with the Bengals. This was a nice card to add to the handful of commons I already have.

2010 Topps UFC Series 4 Fighter Gear Relics - Dan Severn

As a far MMA goes, we'll watch the big specials on FOX in our house but won't really splurge for a PPV, mainly because they're insanely expensive. This card however, was not. It ran me about $3.50 and Severn is one of my favorites from old school UFC. Nice guy too, I met him at an independent wrestling show a few years ago and he signed my copy of Swamp Zombies, a low budget horror film he has a small role in.

All in all, not a bad pick-up with some nice variety. Shipping took about a week through regular mail. I'll definitely be ordering from COMC again, that is once my budget for cards goes up.

Quick Thoughts on 2015 Topps Stadium Club

Wanted to post some quick thoughts on 2015 Stadium Club before I forget about it. Fair warning, I'm writing this at 12:30 in the morning and have to get up for work in 6 hours so it won't be extremely detailed.

My new card shop of choice finally got this back in the other day and I was really excited. Normally, I don't buy a lot of boxes, just packs and blasters, however I had some extra cash and decided to splurge and get a box.

The box comes with 16 packs per box and 8 cards per pack, with two on-card autographs per box and one parallel or insert per box. My autographs were Kennys Vargas and a black foil parallel of Rusney Castillo #'d 25/50. 

I collect a lot of Reds cards and was pleased to get a nice mix of past and present players such as Chris Sabo, Rob Dibble, Lenny Harris, Joey Votto, Billy Hamilton, etc and these will fit nicely in my Reds binder. 

A few other good pulls such as rookie cards of both Kris Bryant and Joc Pederson but neither of the cards I was really hoping for, the Dennis Eckersley with the mascot and the Ken Griffey Jr./Ken Griffey Sr. card. Overall though, I was pretty pleased with this and may pick up some more packs or a blaster at some point.

Some pics of some more cards below. Sorry for the flash or glare on some of them. I wasn't at home so I took pictures of the cards on my wife's phone.

As I was filing these cards away in my binder at home, I started thinking that this might be a fun set to attempt to put together. I've been wanting to put a set together for a while and this might be a neat place to start.

Introduction

Welcome to the Cardboard Clubhouse!

So, what is this blog?
Well, this blog is dedicated to my recent dedication and immersement (is that even a word?) to sports cards. This won't be your typical "look at these awesome hits" or "watch me break this insanely expensive box" site. Yes, there may be some of that from time to time, but mostly this will be an appreciation of sports cards (and some random sports collectibles). I'll also share cards I may pick up at the flea market, retail store, card shop, or occasional card show.

Who are you?
My name is Adam and I've been collecting since 2012. I collected as a kid in the midst of the 90s baseball card boom and over-production era. My first memory of baseball cards is when my uncle bought me some 1991 Donruss. I opened the packs in the drive-thru of the local Hardee's and remember the first two cards I saw were a Hector Villanueva and a Scott Radinsky. In the late 2000s, I rid myself of my childhood collection because I thought I had outgrown it. Since 2012 when I randomly went to the local card shop and bought a 1974 Topps Willie McCovey error card and a Beckett price guide, I haven't looked back. I also worked for a local sports card shop for two years in from 2002-2004 and worked the shop, the flea market, and sports card shows, all while growing my knowledge on sports cards and collectibles.

How often will this blog be updated?
Ideally, every few days. However, I work two jobs and have a family which take priority over this. However, if I'm not updating the blog, I'm usually around on Twitter @bbcardclubhouse

What is the goal of this blog?
The main goal of this blog is to have some fun with sports cards and some random sports collectibles. If you like and enjoy what you read here, then I've accomplished my mission. I'm just a guy collecting cards (on a shoestring budget mind you) for the fun of it. My long term goal is to build this blog with good content on a regular basis. However, as stated above, it's inevitable that life will get in the way.

How do I contact you? Are you on Facebook or Twitter?
You can contact me on Twitter @bbcardclubhouse, by leaving a comment on the blog, or emailing me at kayfabe1984@gmail.com. Sorry, no Facebook.

Any closing thoughts?
Yes, whatever you collect, have fun with it.