Thursday, September 18, 2014

This probably wasn't the best time to buy 40,000 baseball cards, but a great deal is a great deal...

So I have a two-week-old, a three-year-old, am moving at the end of the month (hopefully), then moving again within the next few months. Probably not the best time to buy 40,000 cards off a guy from Craigslist,, but at better than six cards for a penny, or less than $10 per 5,000 count box, I couldn't resist.  And I am very happy with what I found, even if it will take many months to assimilate into my collection.

Here is a box-by-box review of a collection that had surprisingly little junk wax, and a ton of mid-to-late nineties goodness. Mind you I haven't even looked at most of the cards yet, just browsed the boxes to see what's in them. For the most part the boxes are organized by set, making it fairly easy to see what sets are represented and in roughly what quantities.

The first box I am showing was actually just a throw in. But it gives a good example of what sets were featured the most in this collection. There were several thousand 93 Upper Decks - hopefully I can finish this set, and I know it is popular among a lot of bloggers. Also very highly represented was 93 Pinnacle. Both of these sets appeared in just about every box. Other sets featured in this box are 95 Donruss,  95 Stadium Club, 95 Ultra. The bottom row is all football, mostly early 90s Pro Set and early 80s Topps. I don't "actively" collect football but I do hang on to the ones I get.
 This box is big on '93s and '94s. Got some 93 Triple Play, 93 Triple Play Action Baseball, 94 Score Rookie Traded, 96 Topps, 94 Score, 94 Collectors Choice, 94 Ultra, 94 Leaf Signature, 94 Bowmans Best, 94 Leaf, 94 Pinnacle, 94 Stadium Club, 94 Upper Deck. Cool to see some high-end brands here.
 These appear to be mostly 95s. I see 93 Select, 94 Fleer, 95? Metal, 95 Collectors Choice, something that looks like Sportflix but is actually Topps HD, 94 Studio, 95 Emotion, 95 Select, 95 Zenith, 95 Stadium Club, 93 Fleer, 93 Flair, and something called Donruss Signature.
 Here is some 93 Donruss, 96 Upper Deck, 95? Sportflix, a few other 93-95 era brands.
 Some high end stuff here like SP and Finest. Very cool to get bulk amounts of these. Lots of 95 staples like Score, Donruss, Stadium Club, UD, Select, and that Studio set that looks like credit cards.
 This was the first box I opened and was afraid this was what most of the boxes were like, but actually this was easily the worst box in the set. Lots of junk wax staples like 92 Donruss, 91 Score, 91 Upper Deck. But also some post-junk-wax sets, most notably 96 Score. I saw at least three cards of the 96 Score Bip Roberts card where he is wearing a sombrero.
 Sorry this one is blurry but it is late and I am tired. This was the best box in the lot. Those oversized cards on the right are 98 Topps Super Chrome. There is a box of 87 Fleer Update that looks a bit picked over (it seems to be missing the Maddux) but it has the checklist card which I am pretty sure is the only one I needed in the set. This box had the most variety, most high end sets, and most recent cards.
 One more box. This one had a fair amount of basketball and hockey. Unlike football I don't collect those sports at all, so anything from those sports is up for trade. Some good baseball stuff here though like Finest, Topps Gallery and Summit. A lot like this is supposed to have crap like 88 Donruss, but instead has a chunk of cards from 88 Donruss Baseball's Best, which I rarely see. Finally, in the front right of the box are some pocket schedules for the 2014 Brooklyn Cyclones. They are not interesting to me but maybe someone out there wants them.
 Well there you have it. If you have mid-to-late 90s needs let me know because I will have a ton to trade from this monstrosity when I am able to sort it out in my brief spare time over the next few months...

13 comments:

  1. I'm always game for 90s Red Sox.

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  2. Mid-to-late '90s? Those are like dream boxes for me. Looks like you'll have a lot of fun sorting through those.

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  3. This'll give you something to do on nights when the new youngster has you up. Congrats, by the way!

    I've no idea what I'll have of your wants when the time comes, but I'm sure I can use a little of this. Shooting you an email now.

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  4. I can use some of the 1995 Studio (AKA the credit card looking set). If there are gold ones in there I'm 4 short of completing that group as well.

    Unless those boxes decimate your wantlist I think I should be able to find a good amount of cards you need.

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  5. SWEET, THOSE ARE THE KIND OF DEALS I STRIVE TO FIND! AWESOME.

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  6. Bo, that is some awesome looking stuff. I hesitate to say it, but mid-to-late 1990s Brewers (other than Topps 1999) are all needs for me. If you're inclined to trade, let me know.

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  7. So he was like the only guy collecting in the mid-1990s. No wonder he could accumulate so many cards!

    Shoot me your new address when you get a chance, I'm finally getting around to sending you some cards in a week or so.

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  8. Nice haul. I am a sucker for bargains like these. They are a ton of fun to sort. I currently have about 7 5,000 count boxes full of 80s and 90s goodness hanging around. Enjoy.

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  9. Nice deal! I will gladly trade for any New York Mets you find in there. I hope I have something to offer that isn't in those boxes already!

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  10. Congratulations on the new addition to your family. Sounds like you have your hands full (in a totally awesome way) for the next few months.

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  11. Oh man, I'm sure you've got some Astros in there that I could use. Looks like a pretty great score. I'll take a look at your want list and see if there's anything that I can find for you.

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