My Greatest Purchases; 2019 National Recap Part #7

After writing 6 posts recapping my memorable experience at the 2019 National Sports Collectors Convention, I've reached the end of this mini-series. Today will be my final post overviewing what my Dad and I brought back from the show in Chicago.

Baseball card show recap posts, no matter how large or tiny the event, are some of my favorite things to write. In addition to attending the shows and having a blast while I'm there, I get to relive the experience, to a certain extent and share it here on the blog. It's almost like a continuation of the show itself.

All things considered, I can't say whether the 2019 National was better or worse than the 2018 show. The Chicago show was definitely larger than the Cleveland one, but I ended up bringing back around the same number of cards from what I can remember.

I will say that I made more extravagant purchases at this year's show which you'll see later on in this post. There was no booth allowing customers to fill an 800-count box for $50 like there was last year, so I guess I valued quality a tad more than quantity this time around.

The Betts rookie card from Stadium Club is the 2nd Mookie rookie in my collection ('14 Chrome Update was the first). In addition to the Stadium Club rookie, my Dad and I came together and purchased 5 spectacular cards; the best of the best from our time in Chicago.

When Cardboard Connection first posted about 2018 Topps Heritage, I was ecstatic to learn that the Seattle Pilots would have a mini autograph set. However, the pack odds (1:3,464 packs) were unbelievably low.

When I, unsurprisingly, didn't pull any out of the packs that I opened, I gave up my hopes of landing one of these rarities. That is until one caught my eye as I was peering through one of the thousands of display cases at the show.

I'd never heard of Bernie Smith before in my life, and it's a little absurd to pay decent money for an autograph of someone you're not familiar with. However, my Dad and I collect anything Seattle Pilots. Now that we've completed the 1969 and 1970 Topps team sets, it was time to move onto the oddballs.

Topps Heritage autographs are absolutely beautiful, and Bernie Smith's Pilots card is no exception. Given what the other players' autos are going for on COMC, I'm glad that I was able to land this card at a reasonable price.

Now that Bryce Harper's moved onto Philadelphia, the Nationals' next franchise player is 20-year old Juan Soto, one of the top tier rookies from 2018. I didn't even plan on purchasing one of his autographs, but the price on this 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen Fortune Teller auto was too good to pass up.

I have my reservations when it comes to Gypsy Queen, but I've always praised the Fortune Teller inserts. I didn't even know that these had autographed versions until I laid eyes on the Soto card. Roughly 10 minutes later, I bit the bullet and added this beauty to my collection.

Since the card was in a display case and I never thought to ask, I didn't notice that the card was serial numbered (#/50) until I forked over the money. The low numbering makes this beautiful insert auto even more special, not to mention it's signed on-card as well.

The Soto card gives me 4 autographs of the big-name rookies from last season (Devers, Torres, and Hoskins). The fact that there are still 5 stellar rookie autos from 2018 out there that I don't have (Albies, Acuña, Ohtani, Andujar, Buehler) highlights how historic the 2018 rookie class was.

Nonetheless, I couldn't be happier with the card as well as its price. With all the shiny refractors and parallels out there nowadays, it's nice to take a break, every now and then, with a simpler card that's still a standout. 

As much as I believe Juan Soto could be the next superstar of Baseball, the Hall of Famer autographed cards are where it's at when it comes to a show like this. 

Soto is still in the process of establishing himself as one of Baseball's best players, but a guy like Rickey Henderson has already accomplished that 10 times over. I originally wanted a different autograph of the stolen base king, but it was scooped up by some other collector before my Dad and I got the chance to return to this vendor.

However, I can't really complain about a Topps Tier One autograph of Rickey Henderson, especially since he's shown as a member of the Oakland A's, and the signature is on-card. Truth be told, I wouldn't have settled for a Henderson auto on any other team.

Like the Soto, this card is serial numbered out of 50, but it's Rickey's gorgeous signature that sets this card apart from most other modern autographed cards. 

As fabulous as the Henderson auto is, the Tier One design leaves a little to be desired. Thankfully, this next hit is absolutely breathtaking.

Never in my life did I think that I'd have my very own Topps Transcendent autographed card due to the exorbitant price for a case of this product. 

These portrait cards are a part of Topps' most expensive product, yet I was able to find this gorgeous Pedro Martinez auto for less than the average price of a hobby box.

The artwork is like an upgraded version of Topps Gallery; it's absolutely stunning and expertly created. As for the autograph, it's legible (something you can't say about most players' signatures today) and is signed beautifully. Seriously, there's nothing about this card that I can critique.

The gold frame highlights just how high-end the Transcendent product is, yet, somehow, the dealer was able to sell this particular card for an incredibly reasonable price. Needless to say, it'll be a fantastic addition to my Red Sox PC.

Although I was involved in purchasing each of the autographed cards above, I had nothing to do with the last card from the trip to Chicago. I present to you the greatest card from The National.

This is a Frank Robinson autograph.

This is a Frank Robinson autograph from Luminaries, another high-end Topps product.

This is a Frank Robinson autograph from Luminaries, another high-end Topps product, serial numbered 1/1.

This is the greatest card that my Dad and I brought back from The National.

Like I said, I was not involved whatsoever in purchasing this 1/1 autograph. In fact, I only knew about it when my Dad showed me the encased card midway through the day on Thursday, our first full day at the show.

I'm not familiar enough with Luminaries to know what makes this a 1/1, but I do know a little bit about the product. It's a very high-end set that comes with 1 encased autographed card, numbered to 10 or less, in a box.

I would never have thought that a Frank Robinson auto would be our best pickup from The National. Because we're such avid Cubs and Red Sox fans, I would've expected something from one of those 2 teams. 

The more I study this card, however, the more impressed and intrigued I am. Any 1/1 card is automatically special, but a 1/1 autograph of one of the greatest sluggers of all-time is truly outstanding.

Major Progress With '76 Topps; 2019 National Recap Part #4

173. 

That's how many cards I picked up for my 1976 Topps set while at The National, easily the largest haul brought back from the show for any aspect of my collection.

Most of the cards shown in the previous 2 blog posts were purchased by my Dad. There have been cards from the 50s and 60s, 3Ds, and vintage oddballs galore over the last couple of posts.

Throughout most of the show, we divided and conquered so that we could each focus on our own objectives. While my Dad spent a large portion of his time purchasing vintage oddballs, I tried to concentrate more on the want list, particularly the Topps Flagship sets that I'm trying to complete.

Unsurprisingly, I wasn't able to find any 1979 Topps while I was there since most vendors don't bother selling individual cards from that set. Even 1976 Topps proved challenging to find, though I eventually tracked down a dealer with excellent prices on cards from this colorful set.

At first, I only wanted to go through about half of the cards on my '76 Topps want list before moving onto another part of the show. However, after skimming through the pages and seeing the stellar prices, I realized that this was my best chance to make huge strides with this product.

The odds of finding such an enormous selection of 1976 Topps cards for incredibly low prices are slim, so I continued through the binder and ended up going through the entirety of my '76 Topps want list. As a result, I ended up buying 173 cards that I needed to complete the set.

Unlike the next Topps set that I choose to build (either '73 or '74 Flagship), I began collecting 1976 Topps not because I had a ton of cards from that year. In fact, when I drew up my want list upon deciding that I'd be collecting this set, I barely had 100 out of the 660 total cards.

With that being said, '76 Topps is quite affordable, and the brilliant color scheme is ultimately what inspired me to begin building this set despite how few cards I had. 

I've mentioned before that my favorite Baseball card sets are the ones where every base card looks different. Thanks to the various color combinations for each team, this trait applies to '76 Topps. 

I knew that completing this set would present some challenges, but the affordability and the vibrant design inspired me to start this project. Now, with the set almost complete, I couldn't be happier.

In addition to overproduction, a reason why Topps sets from the 1990s are so forgettable is that there wasn't anything to differentiate Oakland A's cards from Houston Astros cards like there was in '76. 

Even modern-day Topps sets use green for the A's and orange for the Astros to help the set stand out, but this wasn't as pronounced in the 90s. Clearly, with 2 colorful banners on every base card, 1976 accomplishes this.

Even for teams like the Indians and Astros who utilize the same 2 colors (orange and pink), the order is switched to change things up and help create a unique design across the entire set. 

Other than the iconic 1975 design, I can't think of a more vibrant Topps set than 1976, though the uniforms certainly help with this.

Topps' decision to cease releasing Flagship in multiple series caused the value their cards to plummet beginning in 1974. Furthermore, many collectors, including myself, consider 1975 the last year of true vintage cards.

These 2 factors contribute to the overall affordability of 1976 Topps. Even cards of Hall of Famers like George Brett and Mike Schmidt are far less expensive ($3 and $4 respectively) compared to similar cards in another Topps set that I've completed, 1972.

With a set like '72, you have to worry about high numbered cards, HOFers, team cards, and especially condition, all of which contribute to the price of a card. However, many of these factors don't apply to '76. The set is beautiful and the cards are inexpensive; it doesn't get much better than that.

Beginning in the 1970s, Topps began noting a player's All-Star status by placing a symbol or banner on his base card. They continued this tradition for many years, particularly during the 1980s.

If I remember correctly, however, this inclusion began in 1976 when Topps used actual stars to demonstrate that a player was an All-Star. It's always challenging to beat the original, especially when it's something as simple yet classic as a bright yellow All-Star star. 

I already had most of the All-Stars' cards before heading to The National, but I picked up a couple new ones while I was there, most notably Ron Cey's card with red and blue banners.

Before the days of insert sets as we know them today, Topps included many subsets throughout the 1970s Flagship products. Ranging from Boyhood Photos of the Stars to Father and Son Duos, the subsets consisted of around 10 cards and followed a certain theme.

1976 Topps has a couple of these subsets, one of them being The Sporting News All-Time All-Stars, easily one of my favorite subsets that Topps has ever done. The checklist includes HOF legends in a fantastic red, white, and blue design, not to mention spectacular black and white photos.

I'm not that knowledgable when it comes to these cards. Since the set is All-Time All-Stars, the players may combine to form 1 complete team. All I know is that these cards are one of the high points of '76 Topps, and that's saying a lot considering how fond I am of this set.

With this massive 173-card purchase in the books, I'm just 39 cards away from completing my 3rd Topps set from the 70s. At the same time, only 48 cards are standing in my way of finishing '79 Topps as well. 

Though I'm taking a necessary break from buying cards, for the time being, there's no doubt in my mind that I'll be able to complete both of these 70s Flagship sets by the time the Holiday season rolls around.

After that, it'll be time for me to turn my attention towards '61 Topps and whichever Flagship set I try to complete next. 

For now, I have to concentrate on those 39 cards stopping me from completing yet another one of my favorite Baseball card sets ever produced.

My Major Player Collection Purchase; 2019 National Recap Part #1

Last year, I had an absolute blast writing posts recapping my time at the 2018 National in Cleveland, Ohio. At that moment, I had never experienced something so exciting as it pertains to cards, and I was equally ecstatic to share my pickups right here on the blog.

This time around, I'd go as far as to say that The National in Chicago was even better than the Cleveland convention. Because Chicago is such a major sports city, there appeared to be more vendors at this show with a greater appeal to collectors like myself.

Of course, I came to the show not knowing exactly what I wanted to purchase, but I made sure to set some parameters for myself so that I wouldn't be completely all over the place. My 6 goals seemed achievable at the time, but I haven't assessed myself on whether I accomplished them or not since I returned.

I recall that one of my objectives for the show was to add to my player collections without focusing on them too extensively. Since PC cards are widely available online as well as at Baseball card shops and shows, it wouldn't make sense to focus too heavily on them at The National.

However, by the time Saturday came along, I realized that I hadn't made one strictly player collection purchase. Luckily, I found a vendor who was selling hundreds of parallels, rookies, and numbered cards, ranging from $1-$3 each.

Thanks to those boxes, I was able to land a ton of cards for my player collections, all in 1 giant purchase.

One of the greatest things about attending The National is that the prices of Red Sox cards aren't insane like they are at the shows in Massachusetts. I'm not saying that I blame the dealers at the shows I attend for jacking up the prices, but it's refreshing to pay reasonable prices for cards of my favorite players.

5 of the 9 cards above are serial numbered, and one of them is a Benintendi rookie from The National 2 years ago. Each of the cards above cost me just $1, something you'd never see here in MA. 

Though this wasn't intentional, my Red Sox cards haul was mainly centered around 3 players (Benintendi, Betts, and Sale with 1 card of Bogaerts). I also grabbed a few cards of Devers, but I ended up not showcasing them in this post.

Even though he's not shown as a member of the Boston Red Sox on this card, the dealer had a die-cut of Craig Kimbrel available for only $1, a price that I couldn't resist. 

The card is from 2015 Topps Allen & Ginter and is designed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the set, hence the X design (10 in roman numerals). 

This has been an extremely challenging year to collect Craig Kimbrel because of how long it took him to sign a major league contract. Hopefully, 2019 Topps Update will be the beginning of a much better time for The Kimbrel Collection.

The show being in Chicago resulted in a high number of White Sox, Bears, and especially Cubs cards throughout the entire show. However, the Cubs cards in the bins that I searched through weren't priced any higher than the others.

From the Kris Bryant image variation to the Anthony Rizzo refractor (#/499), the Cubs cards were priced extremely fair. Being that they're my 2nd favorite team, and I saw them beat the Brewers 6-2 at Wrigley last Friday, I was pleased to boost some of my Cubs PCs without breaking the bank.

There were also a plethora of low-numbered cards across these sensational boxes as well. Though almost every card in each bin was serial numbered, cards #/50 and below were quite prominent and, once again, priced fairly.

The Fergie Jenkins refractor from tribute (#/50) was the most expensive card of the bunch at $3 while the Andre Dawson (#/25) has a lower print run yet was less money. 

I've been collecting cards of these 2 Hall of Famers for years, but it's The National that provided me with the lowest-numbered cards for each of the respective PCs.

As soon as I realized that this would be my significant player collection purchase of the entire show, I realized that I needed to go all-out with the best possible cards of my favorite players. Thus, I decided to stick primarily to serial numbered parallels, preferably chrome cards or high-end products.

Purple parallels and refractors of silver/gold tier players that I collect adhere perfectly to this rule. 3/4 cards above are purple parallels from Topps Triple Threads, a high-end set, while the 4th is a refractor from Finest, both a chrome and high-end product.

As excessive as looking through 3 boxes of parallels and rookie cards could've been, setting these basic rules for myself promotes quality over quantity which can be beneficial when each card is priced between $1-$3 each.

9 times out of 10, I'll take a Topps card over its Panini equivalent, but there are some instances in which Panini does such a phenomenal job that I have to give them the respect they deserve and praise their cards. 

I did this when 2018 Chronicles and 2019 Prizm were released, and I want to do the same thing regarding Crusade, a spectacular and colorful Panini product featuring a surplus of Hall of Famers and MLB legends.

This brand was featured in 2018 Panini Chronicles, but I hadn't come across the initial Crusade cards until this show where I picked up purple and gold parallels (#/50) as well as red and yellow refractors (#/75).

In fact, there were a ton of high-end and HOF Panini cards scattered throughout these boxes, some of which I didn't even recognize. For example, I'm not at all familiar with these Etched in Cooperstown cards from Panini's 2015 Cooperstown set, but I, nonetheless, grabbed a couple for my PCs.

These cards seem like a crossover between the Ted Williams Card Company's Etched in Stone cards and the Skybox Metal Universe cards of the late 90s and early 2000s. The design is incredibly interesting, and Panini did a nice job of covering up the logoless caps with the positioning of the banners.

Another mainstay throughout these epic boxes was a significant number of cards from the 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen set. The list from this product includes Fortune Teller minis and Tarot of the Diamond Cards as well as SPs and even hobby box exclusive chrome cards.

Over the last few years, the Gypsy Queen SPs have been challenging to come by (1 per hobby box). The 20-card short print checklist features primarily retired players who I collect, but I didn't see the SPs in-person before the show.

I'm certainly pleased that I was able to purchase all 4 of the cards above, but there's not a doubt in my mind that my favorite card of the bunch is Reggie Jackson. Everything about the card, from the helmet to the hair, is representative of the team he played for and the era he played in.

While the SPs were available in both retail and hobby packs of 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen, the chrome cards could be found only if you purchased a hobby box, for they were included as a box topper. 

Each 3-card pack had a chance for serial numbered cards and autographs, but most featured all gorgeous base cards like the 4 above. As far as I know, every player in the checklist has a chrome card, but I'm nonetheless shocked that these rare and hobby exclusive cards ended up $1 each at The National.

I've mentioned before that these cards are very similar to Topps Heritage Chrome in terms of the cardstock, but I have to admit that I like the Gypsy Queen chromes just a tad more. The set design is perfect for the chrome cardstock, and they're a bit more common than the Heritage versions.

Like the Gypsy Queen chrome cards, the negative refractors from Topps Chrome aren't serial numbered, but that doesn't mean they're easy to come by. In 2019, for example, these cards are 1:66 packs or almost 3 hobby boxes.

I've always loved the look of these cards, both on paper and chrome cardstock. While I wish that they were serial numbered instead, I can't complain about the refractors considering how low of a price I was able to find them for.

It's rather fitting, since my Dad and I were at The National in Chicago, that there'd be some exclusive Bowman Chrome cards from 2017, the last time the show came to The Windy City. Personally, I prefer the 2017 Bowman Chrome prism refractors because of how bold and noticeable they are.

Maybe Topps changed the style of the cards, but the 2018 and 2019 Bowman Chrome National cards simply aren't as shiny as the 2017 versions. I also appreciate that each player's card pays tribute to some sort of anniversary (10, 20, 30 years, etc.)

I don't recall buying any packs of 2011 Topps Baseball cards, so I've never pulled any of the beloved parallels from this set. In addition to current players, there are Diamond Anniversary and Cognac cards for the retired player SPs like Reggie Jackson and Carl Yastrzemski.

As much as I love the Red Sox and Yaz in particular, Jackson's jersey works beautifully with the Diamond Anniversary card. Out of the dozens of PC pickups that I grabbed on Saturday, the Jackson parallel might go down as my favorite. 

It's hard to explain, but there aren't many cards from this lot that I'd take over this stunning parallel.

I understand that Jose Ramirez has been struggling across the 2019 season, but I'm not taking a huge risk by paying $1 each for his 2014 Topps Series 2. I already have one graded (BGS 9.5) that I pulled from a Fairfield repack box, but, like I said, I didn't see any harm in buying these 2.

In 2017 and 2018, Ramirez was a superstar and an AL MVP award candidate. I'm not sure what's been going on with him in 2019, but when he's at his best, Ramirez is one of MLB's brightest stars. I hope, for his sake, that he finds his groove and becomes the star we know he is very soon. 

It may not be the most flashy card of the group, but Xander Bogaerts' 2012 1st Bowman Chrome card ranks as one of the best pickups of the entire purchase. Given the magnificent season that the 26-year old is having, I didn't want to hold off any further on this card, especially since it was available for only $3.

It's safe to say that Bogaerts and Devers have been carrying the Red Sox team for most of 2019 season along with the perennial superstars J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts. It's frustrating that the team with the best batting average and most RBI probably won't make the playoffs.

If nothing else, however, this will shine a light on how much help the bullpen and, to a lesser degree, the rotation needs. I don't want to talk too in-depth about the dismal state of the Red Sox right now, because these posts are supposed to be about The National.

Plus, I got my hands on a Bogaerts 1st Bowman Chrome card, so it's far from all bad as far as the Red Sox are concerned.

What A Day

Even though it's not even 3:30 PM at the time when I'm writing this post, today has already been an incredible day for Baseball. 

Not only did the Boston Red Sox receive their World Series rings in a pre-game ceremony at Fenway Park, but my Dad and I officially finalized our plans to go to the 2019 National Sports Collectors Convention this July/August in Chicago, Illinois.

After having the time of our lives at last year's show in Cleveland, we've decided to make this trip an annual tradition of sorts. When I got back from The National last year, I had over a week of recap posts, highlighting this unbelievable experience. 

At last year's show in Cleveland, I completed sets, opened boxes, added to player collections, and pulled some monster cards which I later got graded. I can thoroughly say that I've never had an experience quite like The National, and I'm incredibly thrilled to return at the very end of July for my 2nd consecutive trip.

Apart from the show, I got to see the Angels battle the Indians at Progressive Field last year as well. Though Mike Trout was out with an injury, I witnessed Shohei Ohtani hit not 1, but 2 home runs, leading the Angels to a 7-4 victory.

My recap posts from the 2018 show are located in the August 2018 section of my blog archive. There, you'll get more of an in-depth look at what exactly I brought back from last year's show.

As I previously mentioned, the 2019 NSCC show is in Chicago, Illinois, home of the White Sox and my 2nd favorite MLB team, the Chicago Cubs. Unlike last year, however, I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch a Baseball game, for all the Cubs home games against the Brewers start at 2:20 pm.

I'd have to be willing to miss almost an entire day of the show to see the Cubs play. We've already planned to check out of the hotel Sunday morning, meaning we have 2 days to see the Cubs. 

Taking 1 day off from The National would mean only 2 full days at the convention, and I'm not sure if that's something that I'd want to do. Because of how indecisive I am, any advice on this dilemma is greatly appreciated.

I'm not quite sure whether I'll go for in-person autographs at the 2019 show like I did last year. In Cleveland, I had Hall of Famers Al Kaline and Bob Gibson autograph a 16x20 photo which I later got matted and framed. I now consider this piece one of the crown jewels of my collection. 

Thus, among other decisions, I'll have to decide whether to spring for another autograph or 2 this year. Guys like Reggie Jackson, Rickey Henderson, and Ivan Rodriguez are definitely at the top of my list.

In addition to buying cards for player collections or tracking down set needs from my want list, I got my first look at 2 newly-released products at the show last year. The first, Allen & Ginter, came out a week or 2 before the convention began. On the other hand, Topps Chrome was released on the first day of the 2018 NSCC.

I tested my luck with both products just for fun and because I was at the show. Allen & Ginter was an enjoyable set to rip, and I landed some major hits out of Topps Chrome. Assuming the release dates are the same, I wouldn't mind doing the same thing this time around.

Alas, we may not have all the details meticulously planned out as of now, but everything is beginning to fall into place. We've already booked our hotel and purchased our convention tickets, so the next step is to find plane tickets online. After that, any other loose ends (i.e. Cubs tickets?) will be tied up.

I know the show isn't for another 3 months and 3 weeks, but it's great to have something to look forward to. After all, if the 2019 show is anything like it was in 2018, I'm in store for another fabulous experience.