Keep Grinding for the Super Collection

This will likely be my last big mailday for awhile, but don't worry I have plenty of cards to show off.

The first is actually the highest numbered card of today's mailday.  It is a 2021 Topps Five Star Inscription autograph. 

The card is numbered 9/20 and comes with an inscription saying "Grind"

In my job, our owner often thanks us for all the hard work we do and says "I know it's a grind, but thank you for everything you do." I guess Cutch lives by that same motto...just keep grinding.

The other two cards I got today were both one of ones.  Yup, a mailday consisting of two 1/1s.

Topps Gallery really changed up the product last year.  Rather than using artist drawn cards with a limited number of parallels, this year's set only had artist drawn cards for inserts and really upped the number of parallels this year including a bunch of new shiny sparkly parallels.

The 1/1 red parallel requires sunglasses to look at as the shine on this card is unlike anything I have ever seen from a Topps retail exclusive set before.

My other 1/1 was a very generous gift from a Twitter friend Josh JrNoble1

This is the 2020 Topps Chrome Update cyan printing plate.  I have the magenta and Superfractor. Maybe I will chase after the yellow and black printing plates to complete the set.

The Gallery Update

First, let's talk about that homerun that Andrew McCutchen hit in spring training versus the Pirates yesterday. Small sample size, (2 for 7 with two walks) but a 1.159 OPS would be a pretty good line for the year if he were to keep up that pace over the season.

I have always enjoyed art and baseball cards.  Baseball cards were my first hobby and comic books (and art) were my second.  

Whenever there is an art based set, I like to look at my favorite players to see who they were drawn by and how well they were drawn.

Andrew McCutchen had been a subject of Topps Gallery since it was revitalized in 2017.  

My favorite drawn card of Cutch came in 2019 Topps Gallery.  It was drawn by Carlos Cabaleiro, who I was able to interview back in 2017 here.

I also got the original piece of artwork for this card's production which can be viewed here.

Among all the different parallels to collect from the set, there was also an extremely limited print run certified autograph card.

They aren't numbered, but I have seen less than five offered for sale on secondary market places (eBay, COMC, sportlots, Facebook, Twitter)

Do you check the artist on Topps Gallery products? 

Who are some of your favorite Topps artists?

Wear That Green!!!

It's St Patrick's Day!

Today I'm going to just stick with showing off some green cards.

2020 Absolute Baseball Sweet Spot green stitches Auto /5

2018 Transcendent Vertical Frame green parallel Autograph /15

2017 Definitive Jumbo Patch green /15

2017 Triple Threads Wold Baseball Classic USA green parallel triple relic /18

2020 Triple Threads Jumbo jersey green parallel /18

2020 Triple Threads "Leadoff Dividends" green parallel triple relic /18

2020 Chronicles Spectra Green /75

2020 Topps Gallery green

2020 Triple Threads green /275

2019 Prizm Forest Green /5

2020 Topps Update Chrome green /45

2021 Topps Hanger 1986 green exclusive on top

Miggy Miggy Miggy, Can't You See?

My supercollector friend JT (aka TripleCrown24) sent me a Twitter message that he came across an Andrew McCutchen parallel that I needed.  

I always appreciate when people come across a new Cutch card I need while they're shopping at their local card shops.  This hobby is awesome!!!

Anyway, JT sent me this 2018 Topps Gallery 1952 Heritage green parallel.

The green on the card is an odd choice for sure.  

It is numbered to 250 copies on the back.

JT has also sent me some other Cutch cards I needed for the PC like this 2013 Bowman Platinum Sapphire parallel.

JT as you may be able to tell from his social media handle, TripleCrown24, is a Miguel Cabrera supercollector.  His goal is to get to 3,000 unique cards of Miggy before Miggy gets to 3,000 hits.  He's closing in on 2,800 which is an amazing feat of itself. 

Here are a few of my Andrew McCutchen with Miguel Cabrera cards.

2014 Immaculate Collection

triple patch /10

The back discusses the importance of each of these players.

2014 Immaculate Collection

Triple relic /49

2015 Immaculate Collection

ten player patch /10

2017 Immaculate Collection

Quad Relic /25

2017 Immaculate Collection

Quad Relic /99

As you can see Panini likes to use Miggy, Cutch, and Votto for their Immaculate Collection releases.  

Thank you for the new Cutch card JT.  

If you get a chance, follow JT on Twitter @itstriplecrown and subscribe to his YouTube Channel (TripleCrown24).

Orange + Giants = Good Combo

I know there are more Dodgers fans that read this blog than Giants fans, but that's not going to stop me from showing off a few Giants cards that I like.

I recently picked up a Giants card that made me go back and look at some of my other Giants cards.

This is a 2018 Topps Gallery 1952 Heritage orange parallel.

It is numbered to only 25 copies.

I do have a few other orange parallels of Cutch

Some of these I have shown off in the past.

2 of them I showed off in 2018 when showing cards numbered 12/25.  

You can revisit those posts here.

And here.

I also showed off a cameo of Cutch in an orange parallel here.

Many of them I haven't shown, which you can see below.

Here are 9 other McCutchen cards in a Giants uniform for an orange parallel.

Are there any color parallels you get for specific teams?

Texansfan Hookup

I recently made another Twitter purchase for a card that had escaped me for two years.

This 2018 Topps Gallery Masterpiece is the blue parallel.  These cards are limited to only 99 copies which you can see serially numbered on the back of the card.

I was able to acquire this card from @Kenneth60368818 who goes by the moniker Texansfan4Life on Twitter for $4 delivered.  

The artwork is by Evan Shoman who has worked with UFC and WWE a lot which you can see on his webpage shomanart.com

Christmas Pairings

On Friday I received a 2020 Topps Gallery green parallel card (/99) of Cutch from a Mike Moustakas supercollector.  You can follow him on Twitter @d_moose8 

Because it was a green parallel and we just got done decorating our Christmas Tree, I thought it would be funny to tape it to the tree.

This got me thinking though.

What would a Christmas Tree look like with trading cards hanging from the branches?  

I think it would look rather unique and I may get a small tree for just myself to display such things.

I have already hung up a few Starting Lineups like this Mario Lemieux SLU.

Do you put any sports related collectables on your tree? 

Out of My League

Each year during the month of October, I show off only pink (and shades of pink like magenta, peach, etc) to help raise awareness of Breast Cancer, a leading cause of death for females in the United States.  For each (meaningful, non spam) comment left by those that follow the blog I donate a dollar to hopefully help at least one woman get a much needed mammogram.  Early detection is key!!!

If you want to make your own private donation please visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  There is a donate button on the main page and it only takes a minute of your time.  Every little bit helps.

I have focused primarily on cards that only feature Andrew McCutchen on the card, but in recent years have also featured cards with a cameo appearance (either being seen on the card or as a name cameo on the back of the card).  Last year I created Falco Files which discussed players that replaced (Shane Falco Replacements movie reference) on an active roster, number worn, or trade.  I will continue to utilize these styles of posts as we celebrate the 4th Collecting Cutch Save Second Base event (I am no longer counting my first run on the Pirates Treasure Room I did back in 2014.)

Please be sure to click here for a Babe Ruth relic card I am offering as a contest prize to one lucky person who posts their own pink cards for the month.  I am matching the $1 per comment on YOUR BLOGS too if you show off pink cards. 

You ready to get started?

Today's featured celebrity has one of the best gif I have ever featured

Alice Eve

Recently she has appeared in one of my favorite Netflix shows Iron Fist (I miss the Marvel Netflix Universe) as a villain known as Typhoid Mary.

She also appeared in the movie Bombshell opposite Margot Robbie, Charlize Therion, and Nicole Kidman about women who made allegations against Fox News.

So while she has been active in a lot of movies and TV shows recently, it was the 2010 film She's Out of My League that made me attracted to her.

Not only does the movie take place in Pittsburgh, but it is one of my favorite Romantic Comedies ever.

Her friendly personality gives hope to nerds everywhere that we can one day be with someone out of their league.

The fact that Alice is stunning only helps.
She meets the nerdy character at a Gallery that she planned

I have been planning my Gallery as well.

This is the 2017 Topps Gallery Magenta Plate 1/1.

Printing plates of art cards are just odd to me. 

A Private Issue and a Private Signing

It's been awhile since I showed off a Cutch 22 card.  Today's card that is jersey serial numbered is a 2019 Topps Gallery Wal-Mart exclusive Private Issue parallel.

The Private Issue has a stamp on the bottom right of the card, but I don't see any additional details that seperate it from the base card.

The Private Issue parallels are numbered to only 250 copies. This particular copy is serially numbered 22/250, thus making it a Cutch22 addition.

Speaking of Private Issues, I received my autograph Nike jersey from a private signing with Andrew McCutchen.

Many thanks to Rod of Padrographs for giving me the tip about the private signing.
Be sure to follow Rod if you aren't already following him.

This is my 1st autograph jersey of Cutch.  I chose the Phillies because only Nike jerseys were available for the signing and he obviously never wore a Nike jersey while playing with the Pirates, Giants, or Yankees.