I'll be back

Happy 75th Birthday to Arnold Schwarzenegger!

The most famous line from Arnold's career has to be "I'll be back" from the Terminator franchise. 

Terminator is one of those rare movies where the sequel may actually be better than the original, however the more recent sequels will never live up to the original Terminator or it's sequel T2:Judgement Day.

Topps has featured Cutch in his Pirates gear a lot in recent years despite being a current Phillie or Brewer.  This is odd for me because unlike other stars of the game that have been traded from their original teams (Goldschmidt, Arenado, Baez, Bryant, Lindor, Stanton, Yelich, Miguel Cabrera, Bryce Harper) those active players aren't getting featured in insert sets as Diamondbacks, Rockies, Cubs, Indians, and Marlins unless the insert set is discussing their debuts.  

The most recent example was including Cutch in the 2022 Series 2 1987 All Star set as a member of the Pirates. While he will likely always be remembered as a member of the Pirates (unless he hits a playoff series ending HR with the Brewers this year) he hasn't played for the Pirates since 2017.  Yes he made all 5 All Star Games as a Pirate, but then why is Javier Baez featured as an All Star with the Mets (his "current team" when the cards were produced?  Javy wasn't a member of the Mets when he made an All Star game.  

Paul Goldschmidt is featured as a Cardinal in the 2022 1987 All Star Game set because that is his current team, but he never made an All Star game as a member of the Cardinals (until this year which wasn't known at the time of production and distribution).  The same can be said for last year's NL MVP, Bryce Harper, who never made an All Star appearance since joining the Phillies until this season, which again wasn't known at time of production. 

It's just a very strange situation. 

But for whatever the reason is, I'm happy to see cards of Cutch in a Pirates uniform that I didn't have.

Good to see him back. Lol

Cutch has always gotten a warm welcome in Pittsburgh whenever he "has come back home"

IYKYK, acquiring a super rare card for under $5

I see people post hash tags with IYKYK and I'm often looking at that saying IDK.  This new social media talk has got me worried about the future where all vowels will be obsolete and many common phrases will just be abbreviated. 

Anyway IYKYK means If You Know You Know.  It's often associated with something in the hobby that is known to hobby collectors, but the common collectors may not be aware.

I recently purchased a card off eBay for under $5 that tends to sell for over $100.  It shouldn't be valued that much, but the urban myths surrounding this card make it very very rare despite being serial numbered on back to 2013.

Unlike many cryptids like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, this card does exist and has been documented with proof of it's existence.  That doesn't make it any less rare.

There were some posts on blowoutcards back in 2013 and 2014 about this rare card which you can visit here.

I contemplated messaging the seller about his very low Buy-It-Now price, but since I am a Super Collector and not going to flip it, I thought it would be ok to just take advantage of this good fortune.  In addition I have a goal to display all my gold parallels of Cutch in a large frame once he retires so I couldn't pass it up.

The seller also included a very nice note thanking me for the purchase and asking for feedback upon receipt of this card.

I still can't believe I got one of these for under $5. 

Have you ever told someone that a card you wanted to buy was way underpriced?

Missing The Target

In case you weren't already aware, Target has pulled their MLB, NFL, NBA, and Pokemon cards from shelves effective May 14th due to an altercation that occurred with trading cards.  Several young men were arrested and a hand gun was pulled (no shots fired) in a Target parking lot. OVER TRADING CARDS!!!!????

The pandemic caused a huge boom to the sports card industry and many saw the "lottery tickets" that could result in hitting key cards sold in packs as a side hustle and way to get rich quick.  It has left many retail places with empty shelves for trading cards, action figures, and other collectible markets for well over a year.

It is entirely possible that as things begin to open up and mandates become looser that normalcy returns and eventually trading cards prices stabilize, but I think the bubble is still very real for a few more years.  

Target is known to offer exclusive products over the years and we have seen demand for those products only rise over time.  

Beginning in 2011 Topps Update, Topps began offering exclusive red parallel cards in Target packs.  These red border parallel cards can fetch huge money now of the rookies.  Even some of the stars from that release from a decade ago can fetch larger dollars up to the original price of the blaster boxes they came in. 

The McCutchen 2011 Topps Update red border is a card I've coveted for nearly a decade. 

I recently picked up one of those exclusives and couldn't hit the buy-it-now fast enough. 

The red border Target exclusive from 2011 Topps Update has eluded me and I even missed out on an auction for one last year.  It's an iconic set.  It's a popular parallel exclusive to chase after.

And I bought it for $4 B-I-N

Time to cross that one off the list. 

One card I unfortunately can't cross off and fear the prices will skyrocket now due to (even) less product being available for sale is the 2021 Topps Heritage red border exclusive of Andrew McCutchen.

I regrettably missed putting in a sniper bid and lost an eBay auction and the only one that was listed on COMC.com sold VERY QUICKLY upon being listed.

I know it's a long stretch, but if anyone gets a red border Target exclusive from 2021 Topps Heritage of Cutch please let me know.  I am very interested in adding this to my collection.

Do you think 2021 Target exclusive cards will hold more value in the future with many products being pulled from shelves this year? 

A "Big" Addition to the PC

Sometimes I come across a card that really makes me say Wow!

Topps usually saves their "Big sick mojo grail hits" for their high end releases like Dynasty, Diamond Icons, Definitive, Triple Threads, and Museum.  

Rarely do you see large jumbo patches in their flagship releases. 

There is one exception to that though and that is Topps Update.  Topps Update usually has cards from the All-Star Game.  These traditionally feature a small swatch and the cards are called All-Star Stitches.  Occasionally you will get multiplayer relics from the All-Star Games and I have shown some of these pairings off in the past. 

But for many of the starters of the All-Star Game Topps releases big, chunky, jumbo patches and they're usually serially numbered to 6 copies or less.

I have shown off the 2011 All-Star Game jumbo patch here.  That game was Cutch's 1st All-Star Game and was played in Arizona.

In 2012 Cutch elevated his game to not only be the unanimous best player on the Pirates, but he became a top 5 player in the entire game, finishing 3rd in the NL MVP voting.  He not only played in the game and stole a base, but he also participated in the Home Run Derby.  

Look at this!

Not only does the card have a big prime patch from the National League workout jerseys, but it has a very jovial fun loving image of Cutch.  I think that Topps (and Panini) miss opportunities like this to show off the fun side of players and put them on cardboard.  

It's numbered to only 6 copies on the front of the card and clearly states what game, event, and season this relic is from.  That is something you don't see too often with Topps products these days.

I now have a jumbo patch from Topps Update for Cutch's 2011, 2012, and 2015 All Star Game appearances.  I'm still looking for a 2013 and 2014. 

Finally a $2 card shows up

The 2020 Cutch SP Frenzy is finally consistently under the triple digit mark.  Coincidently the last card I purchased during that frenzy has arrived. 

It took 2 weeks for this card to show up.
It is the 2019 All-Star Game Foil Stamp parallel.

It only cost me $1.98 delivered so it doesn't bother me too much for the slow processing.  Keep in mind all cards purchased from COMC haven't shipped yet.

I will recap everything in a future post along with some of the other items I purchased that weren't card related.

You can revisit all the other items I purchased during the weekend of the frenzy here.


If you aren't familar with my 2020 SP Frenzy Challenge I took the funds available that could have been spent on buying the 2020 SP Cutch "swag" photo variant and instead used it to buy items I needed for my Cutch collection.  The real challenge was I could only buy cards at the height of the SP Frenzy when they were going for $200-$300 regularly.  This all occurred between the evening of June 27th to the morning of June 30th.  Roughly 48 hours was the stretch of this card going for on average $250.  A lot of the purchases were made via eBay, but there were also half a dozen purchases made on COMC.

Those Damn D'backs

The Pirates had been losing to the Diamondbacks a lot!!! Their last home victory at PNC Park dates back to 2017. Arizona already won 4 in Pittsburgh earlier this year and took the first game in Arizona this year.

Fortunately that streak came to an end last night when Josh Bell launched two home runs to seal a 6-3 victory for the Buccos.  His two homeruns traveled over 900 feet combined and his average is now up to .329.  He is looking like an early season All-Star.  It would be his first All-Star appearance if he were to get voted in.

Andrew McCutchen's first all-star appearance came in 2011, which was housed in Arizona.

This jumbo patch appears to be part of the I and O in National from Andrew's Pregame Workout Jersey

The jumbo patch is extremely limited as this one is numbered 4/6

HR Derby

I am watching the HR Derby and am disappointed that Alex Bregman and Javy Baez are both already eliminated.

Cutch was a last minute add on for the 2012 Home Run derby.  He was eliminated in the first round when 10 non homeruns eliminated your time in the box. 

I definitely prefer the new version compared to that style.

Cardboard Insider: Happy Belated Bobby Bonilla Day

Yesterday was Bobby Bonilla Day.  In case you are unfamilar with one of the Mets most famous contract fails, every July 1st since 2011, Bobby Bonilla receives a check from the Mets for a deferred contract he signed prior to the 2000 season.

Bonilla will earn over $23 million in interest for this contract negotiating having received his last payment at the age of 72 in the year 2035 a full 35 years past his last game played in a Mets uniform.

Bonilla was a 4 time All Star with the Pirates and served as a part of the team's resurgence in the early 90s with Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke.

After the 1991 season Bonilla left for free agency and signed with the New York Mets.

He would go on to have 2 more All Star appearances then would leave to join the Florida Marlins in 1997 and help them to their first World Series.

Bonilla would finish his career with stops in Baltimore, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and a second go round with New York before hanging up the cleats.  His career included 2,010 hits, 287 home runs, and 1,173 RBIs.  In addition to 6 All Star Games he also won 3 Silver Slugger awards.

He would go on to receive just 2 votes in his first and only year on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Normally I show the card first before giving the inside information, but that fake bobblehead is too perfect not to lead this post with.

Bonilla's name is mentioned on the back of this card.

The card is from a 2014 All-Star Game Wrapper Redemption

Just A Lil Hope

It it is sometimes said all you need is hope...

I hope to see the Pirates make a serious run for the division.  They are playing very good baseball right now.

Above you can see a card I picked up a few weeks back.  It's a 2011 Hope Parallel.  Because it's from the Mike Trout RC flagship series, finding these are actually very difficult to find despite the high numbering of 60 copies.  There were some set builders trying to complete the Hope parallel sets.  Did I memtion that this card is from the 2011 Update Series which has Mike Trout RC?

I don't know what inspired this short lived parallel, but these pop in person.  If you have a favorite player from 2011, you should try and find a Hope parallel.  They're gorgeous in person.

A Class Act

I was picking up a pair of minor league releases of Cutch via eBay and got the most welcomed surprise when the cards arrived.

Inside was a not saying "Brian-We had a mistake in listing. 2008 International Top Prospecting listing showed a picture of 2008 International All Star (a common Ebay malfunction).  To avoid a problem, I included both cards."

Upon scanning the cards and getting ready to file them, I realized I actually needed both.  My minor league release cards now appear closer to being complete.  I was amazed at the generosity and will always support JS Sports Cards for any minor league releases I may need in the future.  If you are in search of some cardboard check out JS Sports Cards

Here's my Cutch minor league releases (excluding all the Just Minors cards as I am saving them for a future post).

Starting off with the Low A affiliate, Williamsport Crosscutters

Then High A, Hickory Crawdads

AA Altoona Curve

And a Top Prospect for AAA, Indianapolis Indians

I will show off my Tristar and Just Minors cards in a future post, but I believe my Minor League card collection to be almost complete.
There is a 2006 Hickory Crawdad card available at Stadiums for a team set release that I am still looking to add.  There is currently one listed on eBay for $75, but I am determined to find one under $20.  That card is Cutch's first team issued card.

A New Contest: The Top 10 Cards in my PC

I am doing another contest.  Congrats to defgav on winning the last contest and dubbing "The Cardboard Insider" segment which I will spotlight next week.

This is going to be an easy and fun one.

Show off your 10 favorite cards of your favorite player and mention/link my blog in your post.  The contest will end May 30th.
Everyone that participates will get entered for a random.org selection.  The prizes are all very nice and will be displayed at the end of this post.  Additional rules will appear below also.

Without further ado, here's my top 10 in order.
#10 2013 Dual Relic/Dual Autograph Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen
This card just doesn't pop up for sale very often although there is one on eBay right now in the $350 range.  2013 was a great season for the Pirates.  They broke the streak of 20 losing seasons and made the playoffs.  Cutch and Cole were a large part of the reason the team was so successful.  They were both going to be the future of the franchise as Cutch had just signed a very team friendly deal to stay in Pittsburgh through 2018 (if the options were picked up).  Gerrit Cole when pitching right is one of the best NL pitchers.  Together they are my favorite players of this millennium to wear a Buccos uniform.  I have other Cutch and Cole cards and some may be more expensive, but this is my favorite because of it's release date and the joys I had rooting for the Pirates during that 2013 season.

#9: 2013 Triple Threads Booklet
Ask any kid growing up in the 90s who their top 5 favorite baseball players are and Ken Griffey Jr is sure to be on that list.  No one disliked "the Kid." Cutch has stated in numerous interviews that Griffey was his favorite player growing up also.  Having 2 Hall of Famers, bats from Kemp and Bo, and 2 great looking patches for Bryce and Cutch make this booklet one of my favorites.  Only 3 exist and there are plenty of Harper, Griffey, and Bo fans that can be jealous that I own this one.

#8: Gypsy Queen Adam Jones and Andrew McCutchen Dual Button
I mentioned a few weeks ago that this card was easily in my top 10.  After looking at all my cool Cutch cards, I realized "I got a lot of cool Cutch cards."  Adam Jones is one of my nonPirates favorites so that definitely helps this card break the top 10.

#7: 2015 Topps Triple Threads All-Star Game Sleeve Patch 1/1
I realize this should be higher and maybe I am putting emotional significance on the top 5 higher, even though this card is just absolutely sick looking.  It's my list though and in terms of cards I would say that since each year Topps Triple Threads seem to do something like this, it doesn't hold the same WOW factor to me as it probably should.  It was Cutch's 4th All-Star Game.  He didn't win an MVP during that year (finished 3rd though).  It's a great looking card and looks incredible in the custom case I got for it, but the others mean more to me.

#6: 2009 Bowman Chrome Superfractor 1/1
There's going be nothing but 1/1s from here on.  When it comes to collecting Bowman cards, there's 2 kinds that people collect: a player's 1st Bowman Card (often found in Bowman Draft) and the player's Rookie Card.  The little RC logo adds a lot to the desirability of a player.  A 2005 Bowman Chrome Superfractor would be another Holy Grail card for me, but for now this Bowman Chrome beats all other 6 Superfractor in my collection for top parallel.

#5: 2012 Triple Threads All-Star Game Laundry Tag 1/1 booklet
Cutch's first All-Star Game was in 2011 at Arizona.  He was a replacement for Carlos Beltran.  He only got one plate appearance which was a check swing groundout to the pitcher.  Regardless of his performance in the game, this workout jersey is still from his 1st All-Star Game.

Note: I also have his laundry tag booklet card from 2015 Triple Threads for his 2014 All-Star Game (the first game he started)

#4 2005 Topps Chrome Cyan Printing Plate Autograph 1/1
I was able to grab this from someone that pulled it in 2014.  It was my 500th card of Cutch.  I am now near 1,700.  That shows how much of my collection has changed so that I could solely focus on Cutch.

#3: 2016 Immaculate Bat Knob 1/1
Unlicensed or not.  This was one of my favorite cards I got so far this year.  Featuring a bat knob that was PSA authenticated before Panini got it, it's a sense of relief to be able to verify the authenticity of the card.

#2:
It took awhile for my favorite product to get featured, but Allen & Ginter finally makes an appearance.  Combining a Cutch bat barrel nameplate and a Pedro Alvarez jersey nameplate, this 1/1 booklet was one of my first big cards I ever purchased.

#1: 2016 Allen & Ginter 1/1 Box Topper Nameplate
Quite literally one of the biggest cards I own, this massive and beautiful designed card shows the first part of McCutchen's nameplate from a home white jersey.

So there's my top 10 cards.
How do you like the way I ranked them? Would you rank them differently?

Honorable mentions (the just missed list):
Any of my 3 MLB Logoman cards

Any of my 3 Majestic Logo Cards

A pair of Autograph/Patch Booklets from Allen & Ginter that form the "P" on the alternate black uniform.

Any of these Superfractors could have earned a top spot, but the saying Chrome is King refers to Bowman, sorry random Topps products.

Triple Threads All-Star Game Patch cards /9 for each of Cutch's All-Star Games (so far)

How about this 1/1 Triple Threads Team Logo card with Jung Ho Kang and Gerrit Cole?  If it were not for Jung Ho's reckless behavior this card would have made the Top 10.  As more and more is becoming known about his character and actions, it is becoming harder for me to root for the guy.  Had this card been just Cutch and Cole it would have made the Top 10.  Need proof, go back to the top and see #10 for my reasons.

Now...onto the contest.

1)Leave a comment below with your link mentioning this contest and show off your 10 favorite cards of your favorite player.  They don't have to be mega hits.  You can like a card for it's photography, the joy of getting that card as a gift, whatever the reason...it's your list.

SHOW THEM OFF!!!!

2) All participants will receive tbeir blog entered into random.org as a result of participating.
Assuming there are at least 5 people who show off their top 10 here is the prize for the random.org result winner


1-A Craig Biggio Topps Dynasty autograph/patch card.

.
All other participants will receive one of the following cards

If less than 5 people participate, the Biggio will not be randomed off and I will just send you ONE of the above cards for participating.