Cards From Co-Workers

When you collect baseball cards, word gets around the workplace pretty quickly. Soon, colleagues ask about your collection, how long you've been collecting, what keeps you collecting, etc. And, yes, many give you the sideways glance of a disapproving parent.

Often, at least in my experience, they are quick to come to your for advice about cards they still have or cards their kids are collecting. "How much do you think this is worth?" "What do you think of these?" and other similar questions.

Sometimes, co-workers bring you a stack of cards and say, "I've had these for a long time and I don't collect. Would you like them?" I always take them. Always. It doesn't matter to me if the cards are worth $1 or $100. It doesn't matter if they are players I collect or players of whom I have never heard before. What matters is that this person thought enough of me and my hobby to offer something to help the cause or to find a new home for cardboard bits that were collecting dust. The cards in this post are just that: cards given to me by co-workers. Most of these will find their way into trades/giveaways, off to find a more permanent home.

The "Pudge" card came from my organization's Director. I'll keep that one, mainly because she understands what my hobby means to me and this was a very cool gesture. The other cards came from one co-worker, cleaning out her closets one day. They are all from 1987.

There are some very well-known folks in here: Jim Rice and Tony Gwynn jump off the scan from this first group. Am I the only one that thinks of the song "Come on Eileen" when coming across a Johnny Ray card? "Poor old Johnny Ray..." We also have Otis Nixon, Triber!

 The next scan finishes out the 87 Fleer with players like Oil Can Boyd, Cecil Cooper, Ron Guidry and more. These are the players of my youth - er, okay, I graduated High School in 87...

Next up, we have a stack (most likely a single pack) of 1987 Donruss. Dale Murphy, Tim Wallach, and Jorge Orta (former Triber) stand out for me. Which ones grab your memory?

Finally, we end things with some 1987 Topps. Again, probably from one pack. Roger Clemens, Dave Kingman, and Leon Durham jump out for me, along with several others.

Dak Prescott Autopen: We don't REALLY care...

In case you've missed it, there is a huge controversy regarding the alleged use of autopens on Panini's Dak Prescott cards. Autopenning is the use of machines to reproduce a signature. Sometimes, the signer holds one pen while a slew of machines hold additional pens, such that the autograph is instantly replicated as the original is being signed. Other times, a pen follows an existing signature while replicating the signature onto a slew of other cards. Either way, the player does not actually "sign" the additional cards. It's a practice seen off and on in the cardboard world over the decades.

Why it won't matter: We, the hobby collective, don't really care. Oh, we care. At first. Right now, it's a hot topic and many folks in the hobby are steaming mad about it. Panini has even issued recalls on the cards so as to try and get the back, presumably to be destroyed. But, really, when all the dust settles, it means those autopenned cards that collectors held on to will be worth even more now. Why? Because there will be fewer available. And, we, the hobby collective, don't really care.

Why it won't matter: We, the hobby collective, want autographs (not me, frankly. I mean, autos are cool, I guess, but I've never been goo-goo gah-gah over them). We want autos and we will continue to collect autos, regardless of how those were produced, obtained, and/or distributed. Ever since the beginning of collecting, autographs of the players and people we cheer have been highly sought. In the old days, it was more difficult to get autos of your favorites because you either had to get to the game itself or know someone that knew someone who knew someone that was going and would not only try to get the auto for you but then actually give it to you once they got it. Or, you had to hope a card show was coming close to your town and that your faves would be there. Autos by mail took off in the 70's and 80's. In the 90's, card companies started having players sign stuff you could actually get in packs. And we, the hobby collective, loved them for it. Allegations of autopens, having others sign the cards (*cough* Shaq *cough*) instead of the actual players, and other controversies flared up. But, in the end, it didn't matter. Why? We, the hobby collective, don't really care.

Point all the fingers you want - at Prescott, at Panini, at MLBPA, at whomever - but, in the end, the real blame lies on us, the hobby collective. We will still seek autos. We will pay premiums for faked autos BECAUSE they are fakes. We will pay premiums because in the end, we don't really care.

Various sources:
http://www.sportscardradio.com/dak-prescott-panini-prizm-autopen-scandal/
https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1129371
http://www.beckett.com/news/dak-prescott-autographs-recalled-by-panini/

How Many Packs Does It Take To Make A Set? #TheHobby #Math #MyHeadHurts

(source: https://www.pinterest.com/adamwolfe13/pastime-card-app-people-driven-interaction-design/)

Sometimes, I get these weird thoughts in my head like, "How many packs would someone have to buy if they wanted to complete the 1981 set of Fleer Baseball?" And, so my fingers begin the ADD-inducing trek through the interwebs.

The problem with the seemingly innocuous question is that most of the answers I found are not based in reality. For example, most sites provide a scenario in which there are a finite number of cards per set (which is true) and those cards are sold in packs of ONE card (for the most part, not true)¹.  Still, others try to use the "Coupon Collector's Problem" in order to try to provide an answer².

I did manage to find one place where the authors were on the right track: The Paninimania study on sticker "rarity."³ In the study, it's concluded that the following formula will calculate how many packs of cards are needed for a set number of cards sold in packs of multiple cards:

Now, I do not understand the complexities of such things, but if I read the study as best I could, the formula above still presents a real world problem: the packs have no duplicates in them. While that would generally hold true today (pack collating has matured since the early days), in days gone by, each pack could very well have duplicates.

The study also compared buying individual packs versus buying boxes to see which would yield "better" results. That is, would it be more efficient to buy random packs versus buying several boxes. The problem, again, is that they had to set the rule that each BOX contained NO duplicates. Okay, in the real world, that's just not happening.

As an aside, the study does a really job in explaining why certain stickers (or cards) appear to be rare when, in fact, it's all a result of probability and calculation.

So, dear readers, is there a formula that DOES take into account that there may be duplicates? If not in a single pack, then surely in a box of X number of packs. I don't know.

I did find a java program that supposedly calculates such things, but I could not get it to run. During the compile, I get an error about the ArrayList. I assume I do not have my java JDK installed correctly or something. No idea on that one.⁴

In a nutshell: I tried to find a program that would help me calculate the number of packs needed (estimated) to pull enough cards to complete certain sets. Why? I dunno, for fun. Well, this quickly dropped the fun part... Haha!

¹http://datagenetics.com/blog/april32016/index.html
²http://www.mathgoespop.com/2009/07/math-gets-around-on-birthdays-and-trading-cards.html
³http://www.unige.ch/math/folks/velenik/Vulg/Paninimania.pdf
⁴https://github.com/JordanDoerksen/TDTM-Card-Collector/blob/master/CardCollecting.java

Eddie Murray's Rookie Card, Ted Williams' Pants #TheHobby #Collecting #Baseball

Although my collection of cardboard focuses on the Cleveland Indians, I also collect LOTS of other players - some who are amazingly well-known, some who are amazingly infamous, and some most people would scratch their heads and wonder who the player is and why on earth anyone would collect him.

These two cards fall into the first category. I collect Eddie Murray and Ted Williams. Okay, okay, I use the word "collect" VERY loosely here. That is, I have some of their cards.

The Eddie Murray I've actually personally owned since pulling the card from a pack of 1978 Topps *IN* 1978. We were kids. I've shared how we mistreated so many of our cards back in those days. For whatever reason, the Eddie Murray never made into a flip pile, never got glued into a spiral notebook, and never found its way to the top of a pile of cards wrapped in a rubber band. No, the Eddie Murray simply traveled along with me through all my moves, college days, careers, and homes. That's why the poor fella is rough around the edges. And, I wouldn't have it any other way.

The Ted Williams card comes from the 2004 Upper Deck Vintage collection. It is the Stellar Stat Men game-used pants variety. Yes, the swatch on the card (in the card?) was cut from a pair of pants Ted Williams wore during a game. That is both freaking cool and freaking...well, freaky, all at the same time.

If I remember correctly, this card was pulled from a pack I got when the K-Mart in El Dorado, Arkansas, was shutting down and selling off everything. They were selling boxes of cards for 75% off - yes, even the current-day offerings. I bought more unopened cardboard that day than I think I ever have - certainly more than I ever had up to that point, anyway.

I actually ended up with a slew of game-used cards. Most of them were (stupidly) sold off in an eBay auction a few years later when I needed money and thought I could get some serious top-dollar bids for what I was offering. Unfortunately, I got about 10% of what I thought they were worth and I had not set a reserve or a minimum.

For whatever reason, the Ted Williams pants card never made into the auction listing. Thinking back on it now, I am so glad I kept this. Sure, having a piece of someone's pants in your possession is weird. But, it is also one of the coolest things ever.

#TheHobby is not always just about cards...

Over the years, friends and family have gifted me things that are related to my cardboard habit, but which are not actual bits of cardboard. I keep these in my overall collection and, yes, they are listed in my database of Indians "cards." Obviously, the ability to add such things to one's electronic record keeping system is crucial... Well, it is for me, anyway.

First up, we have two unopened packages of stickers. On the left, these 3d stickers show off two jerseys, some headgear, Chief Wahoo, bats, balls, and if you look closely: two admission tickets. On the right, we have Puffy Stickers!

If memory serves, those stickers above were either Christmas or birthday gifts from my wife. Not in the same year, mind you. My wife does a great job of finding cool things to add to my Indians collection.

Below, we have more stickers... And a set of keys. The jersey at the top is a felt cutout that I believe came in a pack of cards or a cereal box or something. The two pennants are stickers and they are fantastic. I wish I had more of them just so I could stick those babies up in my office somewhere. And, finally, a pair of uncut keys.

So, as you have surmised from this and previous posts (you know, like the one that showed off my Indians bobbleheads), you can see that I collect MAINLY Indians baseball cards. But, sometimes, I add things to the collection which aren't cards, but (I think) are still pretty cool.

Spring Break for Tribecards!

One of the biggest advantages of being in education: Spring Break. My family and I are enjoying a few days together in Hot Springs, Arkansas during our Spring Break. Of course, I will be on the hunt for some cardboard goodness to bust open and share with you on here.

I've done some preliminary searches and have come up with two possible local card shops. The problem is that neither one appears to be currently interested in baseball cards according to online reviews and what little info I can find about them.

But, we shall see!

First up is Legends and Heroes Sports Cards, which seems to be renamed to CosmoToys. According to Google Maps, it seems to be located either in or near the "Central Station" marketplace building, which is basically an indoor flea market if memory serves.

The next possibility is a place called "Alternate Worlds Card and Comics." This is (or was) located in a shopping plaza with several stores arranged in something of a "U" shape. We used to call them "strip malls" when I was a kid growing up in Pittsburgh. Not sure what people call them these days - hahaha!

I will keep you posted and most likely end up with at least one pack/box from the local big box retailers they have in the area.

I am hoping to discover something off the beaten path. Wish me luck!

Feeding the Cardboard Addiction

I left the office and headed out to lunch. I stopped at Walmart because I wanted to see if they had the charging/headphone adapter for my iPhone 7. They did not. Our Walmart has a Subway in it, so I figured I would just eat there since I was already in the store. And, you can imagine what happened next, I'm sure. I stopped by the cardboard aisle. I was just looking, though I had half-heartedly decided to pick up a pack of 2017 Topps since I hadn't busted any of that yet. I felt the pang. Do you get that pang? The one that whispers to you, "Hey... Over here... I'm a blaster box... I have cool bits of collectible cardboard in here..." It whispers, at first. Soon, however, it is screaming at you and you're helpless to resist. The cardboard habit pulls, tugs, and yanks at you, your wallet, your sense of duty... Duty? Yes, you see, the habit, the addiction, convinced me that I needed something for a post. "You don't want to write about what your already HAVE," it said. "You want something new to talk about."

I looked and there was a repack box. I loathe repack boxes, and yet my addiction prevents me from resisting them. "11 Factory Sealed packs inside," the label read. And, just below that, the ever-taunting proclamation: "INCLUDING 1 HOBBY PACK IN EVERY BOX!' A Hobby pack!? In EVERY box!? Oh, man... It's a Hobby pack. Do you know how much Hobby packs are by themselves? This was a blaster with 11 packs for $15. That's not great, but it's not bad, either... right?

I snagged one. I was at the checkout with it before I knew what was happening. The cashier, a family friend, commented, "Buying baseball cards on your lunch break, David?" Yes, YES! Yes, I was. And then I was grabbing lunch. And I wasn't eating it there because I figured I could grab the food, head back to the office and have time to bust open a pack before my break was over. Maybe even TWO packs...

I tilted the box upside down and it felt... wrong. Something wasn't right here. It made a different kind of noise. It didn't sound like 11 packs in a box sliding around. It sounded like something else. Something... plastic.. rubbing against foil. I know that sounds weird, but that's the only way I can describe it. I hurried back to the office, found a quiet spot and ripped open the box. Sure enough, a screw-down nestled itself among the packs. I actually thought it was a graded card at first, but the split along the top convinced me otherwise. Before I took it out, I examined the box... Sure enough. On the side of the box, it said, "LOOK FOR THESE SPECIAL BONUS CARDS..." There was Kris Bryant, Mike Piazza, Ken Griffey Jr, Mickey Mantle, and Cal Ripken Jr. Holy smokes.

The box whispered, "See? I told you to buy me. Now, why don't you come look inside?"

I did. The Hobby pack turned out to be Stars and Stripes... Meh, okay.  The screw-down? A 2015 Cal Ripken Jr insert. Look, don't get me wrong here: any Ripken is a good Ripken. But, a screw-down for a 2015 insert? I would bet the holder is worth more than the contents, not that "worth" has anything to do with why I bought the box to begin with. Still.

There are a couple packs of "Babe Ruth Collection," a few packs of "Triple Play," a couple packs of Prizm "Draft Picks," and a few other random packs. Yes, oh sweet addiction, you got me. I have 11 packs, including one Hobby pack. PLUS, I managed to score the bonus card (found in 1 of 4 boxes).

With the first phase of the addiction process over (the buying and initial bust), the next phase just as eagerly calls out to me... "Open us... Open...just...one... Come on, Dave... Just one..."

For the Love of Cardboard #thehobby #collecting

It happened. I never thought it would, and it didn't take long. I heard the call.

The truth is ever since I hung up the keyboard around here, I've felt the pangs of separation. The Hobby kept calling like the siren that it is. I kept ignoring it. Then, a funny thing happened. Well, a couple funny things, really.

First, I ended up in a Crackin Wax charity break (er, I think that's what it was, I'm afraid my memory fails me as I type this) in which I scored some rather nice Bowman Chrome and some Topps 2016 cards. I knew then I would have to make a post about them. I fought it as long as I could, but as you see, obviously, I gave in.

Second, this crazy blog has gained a readership I never would have expected. I am blown away by the number of folks that have come by since my retirement from writing here. Several of you have taken the time to reach out to me and I cannot tell you how much I have appreciated that over the past few months.

The past few months... Frankly, it feels like I quit several years ago. The time away from sharing cards and stories about cards has felt like several seasons have passed and yet, really, I didn't even make it to the start of the new season. The call, the pull, the siren song is just too great.

I don't know what my posting schedule will be or what the content will be. Okay, that's not true. We all know that the content will focus on Indians baseball cards. As for the other stuff (Pack-A-Daily, etc), I cannot say. Like coming back into any relationship, we're taking things slowly, cautiously.

The Hobby is a sweet, seductive songstress, whose clutches often leave the victim with much less money than when s/he started and, all too often, with that money vested in bits of cardboard worth much less than the amount spent. That's not really what it's about though. There are mutual friends, surprises, cherished memories, and the promise of memories yet to come. And, that, my friends, is why I have dusted off the keyboard and pulled the rubber band off the bits of cardboard.

Today, we start Tribecards 2.0. Welcome Home.

What I collect, why I collect, and all the randomness that entails. @InvaluableLive!

I've posted a time or two before about my collection, or certain aspects of it anyway. But, I was recently asked by the folks at Invaluable.com to think a little deeper and share my thoughts about my own personal collection. Invaluable has a variety of collectible merchandise up for auction, and they really wanted to see what collectors look for when purchasing new items for their collections. The beginning of my collecting is easy, at least in my mind. But, why I've continued and a look at some of the things I've taken up... Well, that's something else entirely.

I started collecting baseball cards when I was a kid. Really, in those days, I collected all kinds of things: cards, die cast cars, Star Wars figures. Yes, I did have one of the original Jawas with the vinyl cape, and yes, I was just a rough with it as most kids were in those days, and no, I don't have it anymore. Anyway, I digress - often, so get used to it. I ultimately focused on baseball cards.

My paternal grandparents lived in Cleveland by the time we kids came along, and for some reason I associated the Indians with my Grandfather. We never went to game that I recall, and I don't remember ever seeing them play on TV at their house (though I do recall seeing the Indians on TV in the 80's - and no, I am not talking about the movie, "Major League."). I was born and raised in Pittsburgh during the "City of Champions" days. I loved the Pirates, the Steelers, then Pens, the Spirit (and indoor pro soccer team at the time), and I loved the Indians. Even to this day, my dream World Series would be the Indians vs the Pirates. Again, I digress.

When I was a kid, we glued our cards into spiral notebooks. It was an awful practice, but the kids we hung around with all did it. It was something we did. We also had no idea that these bits of cardboard would worth anything more than something to kill off the heat of long summer days or to hang on our bike spokes or to flip in the air hoping to land on the pile on the floor - or land closest to the wall to get "the leaner." We spent our allowance or chore money on packs of cards.

The first card I ever bought from a hobby shop, located down the street from my grandparents' house and is still there so far as I last checked, was a 1951 Bowman Dale Mitchell. I paid a quarter. It was small, it was old (this was in about 1975/6), it was unlike any other card any of my friends had. In those days, we kept our non-glued cards in stacks with rubber bands around them. I kept the Mitchell on top. As I picked up the stack one day, my hand slipped and grabbed the edges of the card, folding it around the rubber band. I was devastated. I kept the card. I still have it.

That is collecting, to me: the sentimental attachment we make with some bit of inanimate object that seems to turn some key in our mind that instantly takes back to a certain time, a certain place. It is like how a song can remind you of your first love or a meal brings back memories of a particular family reunion in which you climbed (what seemed like) a hundred steps to get to the park. For me, it is these little bits of cardboard.

One of my all-time favorite items is one that a fellow collector, who went by "Kimaloo" at the time, made for me. It is a hand-drawn sketch card of Jim Thome. It is the first time anyone did something like that for me, and I cherish it. Later, another collector friend of mine, Mark, made a sketch card for me of Mossi and he included the original that he used as the basis.

Most of my collection has come from friends I've made in the hobby through the Internet. I have to say that for all the bad press the online world gets, it has done wonders for collectors of all kinds. Heck, the world's largest garage sale, eBay, was born out of man's desire to help his wife with her PEZ collection. Over time, my collection has grown from baseball cards to a lot of different Indians-related items. I have a super, tiny, mini Kenny Lofton. I have an Ellis Burks Indians rubber duck, still in the netting. I have a multi-issue collection of Indians home game programs that Baseball Dad has sent to me over the years. There are bobbleheads, tin cans, autographed baseballs, signed caps, and all sorts of things.

I do have a "no-no" for my personal collection. That is, something that I will not have in my collection: graded cards. If I buy or receive graded cards, I break them out of their shell. These bots of cardboard were never meant to be sealed up in some air-tight prison. Set them free.

Not everything I collect is Indians-related, though. Most of my baseballs aren't signed by Indians players at all. I have an extensive collection of "Other Players I Collect" cards. Why do I have those? Heritage, I think. I figure one day, my kids might be interested in cards from when they were younger. Or, maybe my grandkids will take interest and/or somehow benefit from my ragtag collection of random baseball-related items.

Would I ever sell or give up my collection? The older I get, the more than answer seems to swing towards the "No" side of life.  I used to say, "When the Indians win their next World Series, I'm selling the whole thing!" I figured Indians cards might be worth more in that moment than they generally are now. That is one things about collecting this particular team - I can usually get Tribecards pretty cheaply.  Do I still feel that way? Sometimes. But, then I look at that Mitchell or the sketch cards or the other cool items that people have sent me over the years, and I think, "No. I'll hold on to this for as long as I can."

Diminished Capacity, not just a movie title

While taking my irregular trip through the "Tribecards Clubhouse," I came across a post on "Cards in the Attic" regarding a movie about a baseball card.  No, this was not "Cop Out" with Bruce Wills (which I do want to see, but haven't yet).  The movie is "Diminished Capacity" with Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, and a host of other folks, including Ernie Banks playing himself in a cameo role.

The movie follows an old uncle (Alda) who is losing his mind and his nephew (Broderick) who suffered a head injury and has temporarily lost some of his own mind.  Turns out, the uncle has a T206 worth a boatload of money.  The story follows the characters from St. Louis to Chicago to a card show, where crooked dealers and wacko family family members come out of the woodwork.

It takes a while for the movie to get into "baseball card" mode, but I think it's better that way.  The real story is the relationship between the uncle and the nephew and how a little piece of cardboard can mean so much more than the price tag someone else is willing to put on it.

I don't know if Alda was nominated for anything for this role, but I would guess not (just because of the movie itself).  That's too bad, too.  I think Alda did an incredible job in this role - far bigger and better than the movie itself.  The baseball card aspect of the film was fun from a collector's point of view, and there are very funny moments that collectors will laugh at while others in the room will probably not 'get.'  Then again, collecting baseball cards in not brain surgery.  It's just what some of us do.

I don't have a ratings scale or anything, though maybe I should start one.  Well, whatever the scale, I'd give this a middle of the road score for the baseball/collector aspect and a higher mark for the personal story side.  Do I recommend it?  I picked up my copy for three bucks on Amazon or eBay or something. It's worth that easily.  So, yes, I recommend it. 

---

As it turns out, I *finally* found Topps sticker albums and sticker packs at the Target in Texarkana!  I was so excited, I bought every pack they had.  That amounted to about ten packs.  My daughter ripped open packs and called out numbers while I placed the stickers in their appropriate place.  Yes, that's right.  I am not about to keep the stickers separate form their rightful places!  Okay, once I fill the Indians page, then I'll collect stickers for pocket pages.  But, I'd like to fill the book first.

And so, it turns out, the title of the movie I just watched fits my journey to find stickers perfectly: Diminished Capacity.  That is, the diminished capacity for local retailers to carry the product.  I realize Hope, Arkansas (nearest Wal-Mart) and other smaller towns and cities may not be high on the distribution list for Topps, but come on.  We get Ginter, Regular, and a myriad of other Topps products - can we not have these stickers, too!?

*Link to Cards on Cards review/write-up: http://aardvarktradingco.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/flat-screenings-diminished-capacity-2008/