Top 12 Favorite Pickups in 2018

I thought it would be fun to look at my favorite cards I got over the course of the year.

There was so many Cutch cards I grabbed this year.  Over 30 new 1/1s were added to the collection and about 25 new graded cards were added to the collection.

The below signature logoman 1/1 is by far my favorite pickup of the year, but it is only one of 5 logoman cards I got this year.

I also grabbed a few Superfractors, but this die cut was my favorite of the bunch...

........

Until I added this a few weeks ago.

My favorite online exclusive card?  Well it is from a game I attended in person.  The same game that the above Superfractor was pictured.

I got a few commissioned sketch cards, but the one Darrin Pepe created for me with all the bright colors just pops.  It features Cutch with his first walk off homerun moment, the Pirates Jolly Roger logo, and a more recent image of Cutch.

Commissioned artwork is awesome and I have a bunch of Juan Rosales cards to show off in the future, but having the original artwork used to make an all art set is even better.  Back in January I grabbed the original art Daniel Bergren used to create the 1951 Topps Gallery set.

A.J. Burnett was a rockstar in his short time in Pittsburgh and I like many others quickly found him to be an easy guy to root for.  I had been looking for a copy of this Gold numbered to only 10 copies Band of Brothers insert for a few years.  I was stoked to get it after a bargaining war with the seller.

Continuing the theme of logoless tough parallels to chase is the Hot Off The Press from Donruss.  These cards are ridiculously tough to pull and because they are produced in a retail budget friendly set many never see the secondary market.

Stadium Club produces some of the best cards uear after year and their parallels are often overshadowed by the beautiful base set.  Another case hit I was able to grab on the cheap was this Illuminator.

Now granted I added quite a few 1/1s and many many more autographs this year than in my previous years, but a favorite was this 2018 Active Players Edition of Topps Archives Buyback Signatures.  Cutch was a redemption only signer and every card was stamped a 1/1.  The highlight of my redemptions was this Allen & Ginter.

I wasn't sure if I would get excited about adding Cutch cards to the collection that weren't featuring a Pirates uniform.  I still get excited.

Favorite Topps Parallel I picked up?
A 2015 Heritage Blue Back Stat Leaders for the 2014 Batting Title

I could easily have done a top 12 pickups for each year but this variety of cards will show off some of the better and more meaningful cards that I got this year.

Scripture Sunday Psalms 73:26

With the year coming to an end it is important to remember all the adversity we overcome in our lives. 

No matter how hard things may get the Lord is there to help us.

Psalms 73:26
My mind and body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need.

Atomic Yankee

Andrew McCutchen hasn't had many Yankees cards produced thus far by Topps.

There was a Short Print in 2018 Update, a Topps Now Postseason Wild Card Game, and an image of him wearing a Yankees uniform for a Topps Now Off-season signing (with Phillies logo in corner).

The only Yankees cards with multiple parallels to chase are his Bowman Best cards.

So far all I have gotten is the Atomic Refractor.  I will likely pick up some of the color parallels in February after the prices drop a little bit more as I have been spending way too much money on his Giants super high end releases recently.

The back talks about his April 7th game where he went 6 for 7 with a stolen base. His final hit of the night was a walk off homerun.

Quite Possibly the Best McCutchen Giants Card Produced

Andrew McCutchen played roughly only 5 months of his career with the San Francisco Giants. 

In those few months Cutch received a lot of autograph love from Topps.  More autographs were produced of Cutch in a Giants uniform in those 5 months than in the previous 4 years wearing a Pirates uniform.

I have picked up a bunch of sweet autographs in the recent months of Cutch and will likely have to show them off next year.

Among all the sticker autographs and framed autographs of Cutch in the Giants uniform, I have picked up a few relics too. 

Only Topps Triple Threads produced a jersey relic of Cutch thus far wearing the orange and black.

This mammoth triple booklet numbered 1/1 takes the award for best Cutch relic in a Giants uniform. 

Boom!!! 

A nice letter "M" from an Arizona Spring Training game starts off the craziness of this cardboard juggernaut.

Check out the 60th Anniversary patch in the center.  It commemorates the move from New York to San Francisco for the Giants organization.

The massive number patch helps bring closure to it.

Not much else to say about it besides this is my favorite Cutch Giants relic I own.

Bumblebee!!!

When I was younger, somewhere between the ages of 5 years old to 30, I used to pretend that I could transform into Bumblebee.

Transformers was one of my favorite shows and I liked that this tiny little yellow Volkswagon Beetle could stand up and defend his honor and friends against much larger foes.

Yesterday I went to the movies to check out the Transformers prequel, the solo film called Bumblebee.  It was either that or Aquaman. Ultimately I chose Bee cause it was a cheaper showing.

The character designs for the Generation 1 Transformers we all know and love was Awesome.  Wheeljack, Huffer, Soundwave, Shockwave all made cameos in their original looks.  And Soundwave had that incredible voice that was first used in the 1984 cartoon.

What a fun trip down memory lane.

The soundtrack was full of great alternative 80s songs too.

It won't be a movie you walk away from contemplating new life changing philosophies, but if you want a fun entertaining movie to watch this winter, check it out.

Here are some Cutch cards showing off some Bumblebee uniforms.

Merry Cutchmas! from my Secret Santa

It isn't often that Steelers fans and Browns fans can get along, but the joy of Christmas can bring out the best in everyone.

My secret Santa this year was Angus of the blog Dawgdaycards.

Included in the nice Christmas card he sent was also some impressive cardboard.

I waited until Christmas to open it and I was very impressed that he was able to add a Cutch card to my collection that I didn't already have.  Sweet score on that!!!

Also included were some Pirates All Time greats including a Kent Tekulve rookie card along with a sweet team card that I believe is the last team card to feature Roberto Clemente. 

A Roberto Clemente Ted Williams Etched in Stone card that I didn't own helps round this batch out.

A Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski from 1971.  Sweet!!!!

But as Angus pointed out these were printed in Canada.  Man am I happy to add this Canadian brethren to the Stargell and Maz binders. Oh Canada, Oh Canada!!!

And 4 oversized cards from Pirates alumni.

I have no idea what these are from. Anyone have any information about them?

What an awesome Christmas gift.

Lets Go Browns!!! Beat the Ravens!!!!

12th Day of Christmas: Flawless

Luke 2:11

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Don't forget to remember why we celebrate this day.

To celebrate our saviour's birth.

11th Day of Christmas: Generational Traditions

When I think about Christmas I think about all the different kinds of traditions that families have and how they pass them down from generation to generation.

When I was a teenager my family began to seperate and thus the traditions became less meaningful.  It's a shame because I really miss getting together with about 40 or so of my relatives.  

10th Day of Christmas: John 3:16

It seems appropriate to use this verse this Sunday with Christmas Eve being tomorrow.

John 3:16
For God So loved this world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Here is another autograph of Cutch from a 2018 serially numbered 12/25.

I predicted that I would have a bunch of new autograph parallels to chase and it was thrilling.

Cutch has gotten so many new autographs to chase this year in Topps products.

Where were all these cards when Cutch was a Pirate?

9th Day of Christmas: Remember the Titans

Football is on today which is exciting leading into the final weekend before Christmas.

Unfortunately one of the games is the Titans and Redskins.

Borefest!!!

Unless of course if you're a Steelers fan and you need the Titans to be eliminated from the playoff picture.

The division rivals Ravens are playing tonight too and I wish them nothing but the best....at losing.

It is tough to see on this Tribute Titans jersey relic, but this is in fact the 12/25 emerald parallel

8th Day of Christmas: Second Base and Phillies

I wanted to show off Denise Milani during this year's SaveSecondBase event.

With Christmas approaching (12/25) and having a pink card (which I actually already showed off here), I thought it was appropriate to connect her to this pink card.  After all she is wearing pink in the picture.

This 2014 Topps pink card features the previous year's NL MVP.  It is one of my All-time favorite images of Cutch on cardboard.

The back shows off some pretty cool stats about his NL MVP season and oddly enough 2 random stats against his now current team.  Was this a prophesy that Topps saw coming way back in 2014?  Did Topps know that one day Cutch would have his stats weighted heavily in Philadelphia?  Or was this just some random error in creating the card back?

Much like the secret surrounding how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie (lolli)Pop, the world may never know.

7th Day of Christmas: Stadium Club Foil (again!)

Yesterday I showed a Stadium Club rainbow Foil numbered 12/25.  Today I am going to do the same thing.

The Rainbow Foil parallel pops in hand.