One For the History Books

I've been waiting to write this post for what seems like ages, though in reality it's only been about 3 days. The Chris Sale real one autograph from 2019 Topps Heritage foreshadows what's to come, possibly the greatest Baseball card purchase that I've ever made in my life.

I celebrated my birthday last Friday and, throughout most of the week, planned to visit my LCS and purchase a hobby box of cards to open, which has become somewhat of a tradition for me.

My plan, however, was totally altered once I saw a listing on Thursday by one of the collectors whom I follow on Twitter, promising a huge lot of Red Sox autographs for around what I figured to spend at my LCS the following day.

Because of all the cards that he had to include, 24 in total, I couldn't make out exactly what the serial numbering was or what set the autograph was from. I knew, however, that this was a once in a lifetime deal, and I'd take this over a 2019 hobby box in a heartbeat.

So, I messaged the user and asked if the autograph lot was still available. 5 days later, it arrived in the mail.

As far as I know, the collector was trying to clear out some of his inventory, which is why he listed the group of cards for such a low price.

I thought it was too good to be true, but everything lined up perfectly, and now that I've had them in my collection for a couple of days, I'm dying to share them on the blog.

Behold, what will probably rank as that best Baseball card purchase of my entire life.

2018 Bowman Chrome 1st Bowman Autograph Darwinzon Hernandez

The only real issue that I have with this entire lot is something totally out of the seller's control, to begin with. That is the centering of Darwinzon Hernandez's 2018 1st Bowman Chrome autograph.

He might not be as well known as the rest of the guys on this list, but with Rick Porcello's departure all but confirmed, I envision Hernandez, who will be 23 by Opening Day in 2020, joining the rotation of Sale, Price, Eovaldi, and Eduardo Rodriguez.

Having his 1st Bowman auto is a huge plus because I have faith in Hernandez's talent after seeing him pitch a few times this season. Whether he stays in the bullpen or becomes a starter, I'm eager to see what the future has in store for the Venezuelan native.

2017 Topps Pro Debut Green Parallel Autograph Jason Groome

One of the autographs not pictures but, nonetheless, included was a 2017 Topps Pro Debut green parallel auto of Jason Groome, my first ever signature from this set.

Currently sitting at #6 on the Boston Red Sox top 100 prospects list, Groome has been plagued by injuries throughout his minor league career. During this time, however, he's also shown that he has significant potential.

Groome was drafted #12 back in 2016 and is expected to make his major league debut in 2022. For the sake of the future of the Red Sox as well as the following few cards in this post, I want nothing more than for the 21-year old to thrive going forward.

2017 Bowman's Best of 2017 Autograph Jay Groome

I also remember Groome being one of the more sought after autographs back when 2017 Bowman's Best was released. His injuries have hurt the value of his cards, but he has the potential to bounce back and become what the Red Sox envisioned he could be when they drafted him back in 2016.

I love chrome autographs not only because of how beautiful they look, but they're on-card 9 times out of 10. The best thing I can do with these Jay Groome autos is holding onto them and seeing what happens a few years from now.

2017 Bowman High Tek Base Autograph

Just like the Pro Debut Groome auto was my first signature from that set, the Bowman High Tek autograph above is my first ever card from this high-end product. The scan doesn't do the card justice, for in-hand, it's much clearer and modern rather than translucent.

Every autograph thus far has been signed on-card, something that is symbolic of the lot as a whole. While there are some sticker autos mixed in here, that's not a huge deal to me, especially when they're a bunch of new Red Sox autographs for my collection.

2017 Bowman Chrome 1st Bowman Refractor Autograph Jay Groome

The final Jay Groome autograph of the lot is my favorite of the four, and that's not only because it's a 1st Bowman auto (though it helps) numbered out of 499.

Rather, I just love the look of Bowman Chrome autographs, both rookie and prospect, are absolutely beautiful, no matter how plain the base design might be. In-person, the card, like the High Tek auto above, is less translucent and shinier.

There's something about chrome cardstock that almost always elevates the quality of the card, and this 1st Bowman auto is a prime example of that.

2018 Topps Tribute Autograph Craig Kimbrel

He might not be a member of the Boston Red Sox any longer, but I'll take any chance that I can get to add a new Craig Kimbrel card to my collection, let alone an autograph numbered out of 199.

I've always appreciated how detailed and gorgeous Kimbrel's signature his. Along with Mariano Rivera, I'd have to rate it as one of the best of the 21st century, though that's not a huge statement when you consider guys like Chris Sale's autograph which is basically 3 circles.

Topps Tribute is a fantastic high-end set with glossy cards and some beautiful on-card autographs. As you'll see, this product makes a couple more appearances as this crazy lot of Sox cards continues.

2012 Topps Tier One On the Rise J.D. Martinez Autograph

There was only 1 non-Red Sox autograph in the entire lot, and it featured a guy's signature who, hopefully, will remain a member of the team and exercise his option for the 2020 season.

With the addition of the J.D. Martinez auto from 2012 Topps Tier One, this lot is beginning to heat up. If I couldn't have his signature on a Red Sox card, I'm glad it's the Astros where he spent the first few seasons of his career before being released.

It seems that he has at least 2 On the Rise autographs from 2012 Tier One, both of which are numbered out of 350 copies. He hasn't, to my knowledge, had an autograph (Topps or Panini) since joining the Red Sox in 2018, so the next best thing would then be an Astros auto.

1998 Bowman Blue Autograph Nomar Garciaparra

The only autograph on this list not from the 2010s, I was pretty impressed to find a Nomar Garciaparra auto included in this lot. He may not have ended Boston on a high note in 2004, but had some incredible seasons and, at one point, was the most popular athlete in the city of Boston.

This on-card signature dates back to right around the time when guaranteed autos were starting to be inserted into packs. It may not be as flashy as the autographs of today, but given all the 2010s players featured in this group, it's nice to have one guy from a couple of decades back.

2017 Topps Tribute Autograph David Price

I'll try to pick up the pace a little bit since there's a lot of material to cover and I don't want this post to take forever to read. Moving past Nomar, we're now getting into the heart of the 2018 World Series team, particularly the guy who came up big in the ALCS and Fall Classic last season.

This is the first David Price auto to make its way to my collection, but it's far from the last. That's because there's a lot more to come of the 5-time All-Star, autos that I'll be showing off momentarily.

2016 Topps High Tek Pattern 1 Gold Autograph David Price

Come to think of it, I don't recall having a Topps High Tek autograph in my collection until these cards came in the mail 2 days ago. Something about the combination of Price's red jersey and glove with the sleek High Tek design makes for a spectacular modern card, especially with the gold parallel.

2017 Topps Tier One Prime Performers Autograph David Price

The lowest-numbered card on the list thus far, this on-card autograph is out of 40 copies and features a design perfect for a high-end product like Tier One.

The cardstock has a glossy finishing while not being too thick like some Tier One and Five Star autos tend to be. I'd say it would fit in an 80-point top loader, maybe 100.

The numbered (#/40) is a little strange, but Tier One is oftentimes known for that. I've seen other autographs out of numbers like 367 and 110, so I guess 40 isn't too odd. Plus, the card is absolutely gorgeous.

2018 Topps Tribute Autograph Orange Parallel David Price

Aside from the occasional box break that I watch on YouTube and the base cards I find in the dime bins, I'm not that familiar with high-end sets like Tribute, Triple Threads, and Museum Collection.

This lot, however, features a reasonable number of cards from those sets, and that's going to continue until the end of this post. This is the 3rd Tribute card so far, a bright orange parallel from 2018, and the 4th David Price card thus far.

2017 Topps Tier One Dual Relic Autograph David Price

This is an instance where I'm more than willing to look past the sticker auto because this card features a couple of gorgeous 2-color patches to accompany the 5th David Price auto of the lot.

Numbered out of 25 copies, this is the first autographed relic thus far. Don't worry, though, it will not be the last.

Also, this is the 3rd card from Topps Tier One included in the lot, and it's just made me appreciate this product even more. You only get 3 cards in a box for around $100, so I'd never buy one myself, but that doesn't mean I can't love the look of these fabulous hits.

2017 Topps Diamond Icons Autograph David Price

One box of Topps Diamond Icons, regardless of the year, typically sells for ~ $1,000. To think that I have even just a single card from this unfathomably expensive product is crazy. After all, you only get around 9 cards, and they're all hits numbered out of 25 or fewer copies if I remember correctly.

There are colored parallels in this set like red, purple, and, I believe, gold 1/1s, but there's something to say about the plain white base autographs. The card is simple, yet there's so much to appreciate about it because of what the price point is for a box of these cards.

I'll never, as long as I live, buy a box of Diamond Icons or any of these unbelievably expensive releases, but I'm thrilled that this lot has allowed me to add one of these autographs to my collection.

2018 Topps Museum Collection Dual Relic Autograph David Price

I suppose I should just let you all know now that out of the 24 Red Sox autographs in this lot, 9 of them (a little over 1/3) are David Price's signature.

Though he makes up a significant portion of the lineup, I'm glad that, if nothing else, there's an extensive variety of cards, ranging from ultra-modern High Tek parallels to a Fanatics Authentic patch in his Museum Collection dual relic autograph above.

Just like the Tier One auto-relic, a lot is going on with this Museum Collection card, so I barely notice the fact that the autograph is on-sticker instead of on-card.

2016 Panini National Treasures Game Dated Signatures David Price

As I've previously mentioned, I'm not an expert, by any means, on high-end sets, so I have no idea if this game dated David Price relic is actually from April 5th, 2016, his first start as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Regardless, I feel the same way about National Treasures as I do Diamond Icons; I'll never buy a box, but it's awesome to have one of these cards in my collection.

This is my first NT card and, like Diamond Icons, the card relies on simplicity and while it may not have the MLB license, I'll rank it as one of the best cards out of the 24.

2017 Topps Triple Threads Autograph Relic Sapphire Parallel

I don't have any Red Sox 1/1s in my collection, so this spectacular David Price autograph relic, numbered 3/3, from 2017 Topps Triple Threads is officially the lowest-numbered Red Sox card that I own.

I had a couple of Triple Threads hits in my collection before purchasing these cards, but this only increases my appreciation towards the product. The autograph relics in this set draw collectors in each and every year, and the inclusion of star veteran players like David Price gives this set a ton of appeal.

Triple Threads isn't quite as crazy as Diamond Icons and Definitive, but the price point is, nonetheless, incredibly high for a hobby box. For the time being, I'll stick to affordable hits, including their iconic relics.

2016 Panini Diamond Kings DK Signatures Xander Bogaerts

Not only did I not have a single David Price auto before making this purchase, but I didn't have a Xander Bogaerts signature either, 2 key members of the 2018 World Series team.

As if the lot didn't impress me enough, the Twitter user included multiple Xander Bogaerts autos, another monumental addition to my Red Sox collection.

Bogaerts, who's coming off an MVP-caliber season, continues to improve year in and year out. Now is the best time to sell valuable cards of the 2-time All-Star, so I'm shocked that these were included in the first place.

2017 Panini Diamond Kings DK Signatures Xander Bogaerts

The 2nd Bogaerts auto is pretty similar to the first, only it's from 2017 Panini Diamond Kings instead of 2016. Other differences include the layout (horizontal vs vertical), the color of the 2 relics (red and blue vs grey and white), and, finally, the serial numbering (#/49 vs #/25).

It's a toss-up as to which one I prefer. I'm not a huge fan of Diamond Kings, so I was impressed, for starters, that I took such a liking to these cards. Then again, he was a top 2 player on the team in 2019, so that'll definitely help.

2013 Bowman Inception Autographed Relic Xander Bogaerts

As if it wasn't enough to have 2 Xander Bogaerts autos from Panini Diamond Kings, there's a 3rd, this time a licensed autograph, back when he was in the minor leagues.

At first, I preferred the 2 Diamond Kings cards solely because of the design, but the more I think about, the more I realize how special this Bowman Inception autographed relic is. For starters, the product is no longer made, and it's a licensed autograph of one of the game's most talented shortstops.

I'm not focusing too much on value when it comes to these cards. I know that I got an insane deal, which I'll touch on later, but it's worth noting that this card is going a pretty penny on eBay, though the range of different prices is fairly large.

2017 Panini National Treasures Player's Collection Signatures Andrew Benintendi

The name of the card may be a mouthful, but this gorgeous Andrew Benintendi card is my 2nd look at Panini's highly sought after National Treasures brand. 

The card, presumably a redemption that was filled and, thus, placed in a magnetic top loader, features 2 small jersey pieces, a colossal red uniform relic, and an on-card autograph from the 25-year old's rookie season.

Serial numbering isn't always uniform throughout a set which is why I was a little surprised that 99 copies of this card were printed. Still, that's been my biggest complaint about the lot thus far, so I'd say I'm going pretty well.

In all seriousness though, the Benintendi card is a gem, easily one of my favorites along with the David Price from Triple Threads and the 2 cards remaining from this purchase.

2018 Topps Tribute Autograph Green Parallel Rafael Devers

Seeing a Benintendi card in the picture didn't shock me, for he's coming off a year in which he had more struggles than any year of his career thus far. But Devers? He just turned 23 years old today and recently finished a historic season that will certainly garner MVP votes and consideration.

If not for his sensational performance, the Boston Red Sox would've been eliminated from playoff contention much earlier in the season. His impact on the team was extraordinary as he and Bogaerts led the offense to the top of the MLB.

For these reasons and more, I was shocked to find a licensed, on-card, serial numbered, rookie autograph of Rafael Devers along with the other 23 cards in the lot. 

However, there's still one card left which, even taking everything else in this lot into account, will reign supreme as the greatest card of the purchase.

2017 Topps High Tek Red Orbit Diffractor Autograph Pedro Martinez

This card may rank as one of the most beautiful cards I've ever laid my eyes on in my life. Every single thing about it is breathtaking and near perfect, from the gorgeous shade of red to Pedro's phenomenal signature.

The diffractor makes it hard to see the numbering, but this card is 6/10, a lower print run than the Transcendent auto of Martinez that I picked up at The National. Aside from being Pedro Martinez autographs, those 2 cards couldn't be more different.

I could go on for much longer about each of these cards, particularly the Martinez auto, but I'll leave with this. I don't usually like to give exact numbers on how much I paid for a card/group of cards, but this lot of cards was such a steal that I feel the need to share just this one time.

I got all 24 of these cards delivered to my house for a grand total of $110 including shipping. If you do the math, that's $4.50 per card. That includes the 9 Price autos, the 3 Bogaerts, the Devers, the Pedro, and everything else shown above.

After writing this post, I think it's official; this lot is the best Baseball purchase of my entire life, and it's going to take something huge to dethrone it.

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.

Top 5 Cards; Pedro Martinez

The most recent player collection to achieve the 200-card or platinum tier milestone, Pedro Martinez played in just the right era for there to be an obscene number of cards produced of him.

The height of the over-production era was in the mid and late 1990s, but Martinez played from the early 90s all the way through the end of the 2000s. In this span of nearly 20 years, an unprecedented number of cards were produced, benefiting guys like Pedro, Chipper Jones, Ivan Rodriguez, and many others.

Although over-production era cards are often critiqued, they play a significant role in helping player collections reach these high totals. Out of the 8 platinum tier players in my collection, each and every one of them with the exception of Ichiro played in the 1990s.

As evident by guys like Ichiro and David Ortiz who played little to no games in the 90s, the trend carried over into the 2000s. Admittedly, some of the sets aren't fantastic, but there are some true gems out there from this era, cards that I've picked up for only a dime each.

My Pedro Martinez player collection reached the 200-card mark courtesy of the Shriner's Show on April 28th when I added around 8 cards of him to my collection. 

I'm not usually inclined to do a top 5 cards post of a player collection with as many cards as Martinez just because of how difficult it can be to formulate a list. With that being said, this seems like the perfect time for a top 5 cards post for Martinez. 

As difficult as it was, I was able to narrow down over 200 cards to my personal favorite 5.

#5 2004 Upper Deck Sweet Spot

I was initially surprised that this low-numbered card was part of the 2004 Upper Deck Sweet Spot base set. I'm guessing that these Pennant Drive cards are just a part of the base set, but either way, I'm impressed with the creativity behind this card. 

The pennants on the side are an incredibly unique touch that I don't see too much on other cards. The photo is very well chosen; a classic shot of the 3-time Cy Young award winner. The red background is a nice touch to go with Boston's team colors and the low serial numbering just makes the card that much better.

I know that I say this about all sorts of intriguing cards that I come across, but I'm going to have to keep my eyes open on COMC for more of these Pennant Drive cards from the '04 Upper Deck Sweet Spot set.

#4 1998 Fleer Ultra Double Trouble

A card with Pedro Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero on the Expos? You can't get that much better than that, especially since these 2 guys are some of my favorite players to collect. The Double Trouble surrounding the Expos logo in the middle is a brilliant way to separate the photos of these 2 Hall of Famers.

Although they weren't teammates for very long, I appreciate that Fleer created this combo card while these guys were both in Montreal. According to COMC, there's only one other card of both of these superstars on the same team, and it's from 1998 Pacific Invincible. 

#3 2001 Topps Gallery

Topps Gallery has always been one of my favorite Topps releases, whether we're talking about the original sets from the late 90s and early 2000s or the recently-revived product that was first released in 2017. However, out of all the Gallery sets ever produced, the 2001 edition may just be the greatest.

The design is fairly simple and allows the art to be the focal point while also providing an interesting design to go alongside the fabulous paintings. This particular card stays true to the Gallery brand, and it's just beautiful to look at.

The card, although produced rather recently, is very classic looking. I love the attention to detail throughout the entire card, and that's the reason why it stood out among 200+ others to make the top 5.

#2 2002 Topps Gallery Heritage

Pedro Martinez's 1993 Topps card is pretty iconic, but I'll go with the Gallery Heritage version for my top 5. It looks exactly like the original version of this card, but the photo is restyled to help fit the artistic theme of the Gallery brand.

While the concept doesn't seem stellar at first, Topps' artists are consistently successful with redesigning cards for the Gallery Heritage insert sets. They've been incorporated into the past couple of Gallery sets as well, and I've always been a huge fan of them. 

Evidently, the same goes for Pedro's Gallery Heritage card from 2002, a superb recreation of his 1993 Topps card.

#1 2003 Topps 205

Pedro Martinez played in an era in which shiny cards and parallels became increasingly common. Donruss, Fleer, Topps, and Upper Deck introduced hundreds of different products that complicated the Baseball card industry even more. With all these different sets out there, it's refreshing to have a simple alternative, and 2003 Topps 205 provides just that.

There are a few different designs within this set, and the one featured on Pedro's card is definitely my favorite. Everything about this card, the dark green, the gold borders, the picture of Martinez, works incredibly well in tangent with all the other aspects of this card. 

Don't get me wrong, I still love parallels, refractors, and all the things that make modern cards so collectible. However, every once in a while, it's nice to go back to something basic yet stellar, and that's exactly what this card is.

Breaking Free of My Writer's Block; Card Show Recap #17

I'll freely admit to this before I get started on today's blog post; I've had a case of writer's block over the last few weeks, and even though I've kept a steady pace with the number of posts I write, it's been a struggle to come up with new ideas.

Writer's block isn't foreign to me, though this instance of it has certainly been the longest-lasting since I began blogging. That being said, like all periods of writer's block, there's light at the end of the tunnel, and a quick trip to the card show today may be exactly what it takes to break free.

With full knowledge of there being a Mansfield show next Monday and the release of Topps Heritage the Wednesday after that, my Dad and I decided that going to today's Baseball card show on a limited budget would be exactly what I needed. 

However, with intentions of going to the Mansfield show the following week, it was understood that we'd have to limit ourselves this time around, so I made certain to stretch every possible dollar.

I have a fair number of Red Sox cards when it comes to vintage, but I'm always on the hunt for those I don't have yet as long as their a reasonable price. And when they're $1 a piece, it's hard to say no to a higher number like Dalton Jones and a Cy Young award winner, Jim Lonborg. 

Topps did an excellent job with 1969 Topps in their 2018 Heritage product, though the set is a bit too simple to royally screw up. Still, they kept it consistent and featured pink circles for the Red Sox once again, something I was very pleased to see.

It really doesn't matter what year they're from, because these hobby-exclusive silver pack cards have looked fabulous since their debut back in 2017. The best part about the cards, in my opinion, is finding them for a low price after the set is released. 

I've spotted silver pack cards before in the dime bins, but this time, I found a Devers rookie and was more than willing to pay the 75 cents that it cost me.

A high-end card of a Red Sox legend for just a buck? That was an easy choice, especially when the set is Topps Tribute, a product that featured beautiful and shiny cards in the early 2000s. They don't scan as well as they look in-person, for the actual cards are far less yellow and way more like a modern-day chrome refractor.

I've never been the biggest fan of the rainbow foil parallels from Topps Flagship, especially because of how barely noticeable they've been in recent years. Topps definitely stepped up their game with the parallels in 2019, but in the case of this Craig Kimbrel parallel, one would barely be able to tell that it's a rainbow foil parallel at first glance.

Regardless, a new Kimbrel card is always welcome in my collection, and I have now reached 119 total cards, including absolutely zero duplicates.

I'll admit, card companies have succeeded in getting me hooked on serial numbered cards, causing me to pick a few up at nearly every show for the right price (no pun intended). Case and point; this 2017 Topps Finest purple refractor of Price which I've spotted at a vendor's table at my past few trips to the show.

I don't know what caused me not to pick up the card the last few times. But today, I decided I'd finally pay the $2 necessary for this serial numbered card, but it wasn't the only one I'd pick up.

For the same price as a retail pack of 2019 Topps Series 1, I picked up a black and white parallel of Dustin Pedroia from 2018 Topps Big League which, almost every time, will beat whatever comes out of the 14-card pack.

I've always loved the look of black and white parallels, and I think it's awesome that Topps has started to include them in sets like Gypsy Queen and Big League. Pedroia's stock may be down, but for the low price it was going for, I simply couldn't resist.

I capped off a stellar selection of Red Sox cards with yet another relic card of Pedro Martinez, because why not? The dealer I bought this card from provided a reasonable price on the Clubhouse Collection relic card, and so I added what is likely my 10th Pedro relic to my collection, possibly more.

As far as standard relic cards go, Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection is basically as good as it gets. The design is always pretty great, and it's hard to get a bad name, though that doesn't make the disappointment any easier when I pulled a Brandon Phillips relic out of my hobby box 2 years ago

Still, seeing this card reminds me of the Topps Heritage set and how we're only a couple weeks from seeing its release once again, this time in the 1970 Topps design.

Until then, I'll be recapping card shows and attempting to rid myself of writer's block.

3 Cent Red Sox Cards Courtesy of Twitter

It's happened; Twitter baseball card purchases are officially becoming a bad habit given that I've made 4 in the last couple weeks. Move over COMC and Sportlots, we have a new site that's using cardboard to take my cash.

To be fair, I've thought long and hard before making each purchase on Twitter, weighing the pros and cons of this option for buying baseball cards. However, this time, it was frankly a no-brainer to go for it and scoop up a nice lot of Red Sox cards for an unbelievable price of 3 cents per card plus shipping.

I have yet another card package from Twitter arriving next week, but this was one that I didn't necessarily know much about. That's because Baseball Card Addict Jenny was going through a box of 5,000 cards and was nice enough to separate the cards she found into team lots to offer up. 

Soon after this post, I swooped in to claim the Red Sox and for a great deal less than half the price of a blaster, nearly 100 Red Sox cards were sent my way.

A decent number of the cards included in the package were from early 2000's Donruss sets which I must say I'm not too familiar with. For starters, the 2003 Donruss set appears to be focused on photography, almost like a Stadium Club set. The Johnny Damon and Shea Hillenbrand cards, in particular, draw my attention for their unconventional photo choices.

Furthermore, 2004 Donruss was also present in the 94-card lot that was sent my way, a set I've begun to appreciate in the short time since discovering the design. It faintly resembles what 2019 Topps is set to look like, and the set has extra meaning to it due to it being from 2004, showing the players responsible for breaking Boston's 86-year World Series title drought.

Players like Kevin Youkilis and Derek Lowe were definitely prominent in the stacks I received recieved, but no player appeared more than Pedro Martinez, or at least not by much. I was fortunate enough to receive more than the cards shown above of the 4-time Cy Young award winner, and my favorite of the bunch would have to be either the 2004 Donruss card or the Upper Deck Black Diamond.

In addition to their being quite a few Donruss cards in the lot, 2017 Topps Stadium Club had to be the most represented set in the group with around 10 cards of the nearly 100 being from that set. Though it's a set I believed to be fairly familiar with, I was pleased to find cards from the set I did not recognize. Whether they were retired players like Damon and Varitek...

Or members of the 2017 Red Sox team, the Stadium Club cards included in this Red Sox stack claim helped make the package of cards even better than I imagined, especially since I never thought I'd be getting David Ortiz and Xander Bogaerts cards for 3 cents each, no matter what the year, set, or condition is. 

I have to say it vaguely reminds me of the 800-count box I filled back in August where I paid 6 cents a card. Now, these are examples of the kind of deals I like to take advantage of.

As for the last 2 cards, I'm showing them for no reason other than I really like the card designs. The 2003 Fleer Platinum set is one of my favorite sets from the 2000's decade, and the photo of Varitek on it in his catching gear is another major plus to what was already a fantastic card.

As for the Bryce Bentz card, I'm not quite sure how he's worked out in Pittsburgh, but I always felt like he was capable of contributing to the Red Sox teams. I've become a sucker for Topps' shiny cards, refractors, and parallels which is why this purple parallel prospect card from Bowman Platinum is another one of the standouts from the box.

Red Sox cards for 3 cents; now there's a deal pretty hard to beat.