Buried Museums

I went through a box of relic cards yesterday just to refresh my memory on some of the relics I have from 2017 and found this massive patch that I never showed off before.

It's nice to find cards like this that I completely forgot about.

So, you're a Trade-er?

Today is the trade deadline so I thought it would be appropriate to discuss one of the more surprising trades that has happened.  The Scherzer/Turner to LA is a topic for another day, but I really want to discuss Anthony Rizzo, long time face of the Cubs and the player who owns the ball which ended the 100+ year World Series drought has been traded to the New York Yankees.  This came just one day after Joey Gallo was traded to the Yankees.  Rizzo has the face and personality to win over New York Yankees fans immediately, but I am sad to see him leave Chicago.  I know he was drafted by the Red Sox and played briefly as a rookie for the Padres, but I will always associate Rizzo with the Cubs and their complete rebuild which ultimately lead to a championship.  Rizzo was the Cubs, through and through.  

I've shown off some of my Cutch and Rizzo cards in the past including the one in today's post.

One of my favorite booklet cards I own is a quad patch card of Nolan Arenado, Anthony Rizzo, Andrew McCutchen, and Giancarlo Stanton.  

It's an impressive piece of oversized cardboard, containing massive chunky jersey cards from

Nolan Arenado

3xTop5 NL MVP

6x All Star

4x Silver Slugger

8x Gold Glove

43.1 WAR (career)

⚾ ⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Anthony Rizzo

1x World Series Champion (2016)

2x Top 5MVP

3x All Star

1x Silver Slugger

3x Gold Glove

36.6 WAR (career)

⚾ ⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Andrew McCutchen

2013 NL MVP (4xTop5 MVP)

5xAll Star

4xSilver Slugger

1xGold Glove

46.1 WAR (career)

⚾ ⚾ ⚾ ⚾

Giancarlo Stanton

2017 NL MVP (2x Top 5)

4x All Star

2x Silver Slugger

42.1 WAR (career)

All players on this card have been traded since they signed their contract extensions.

3 of these players have been traded to the Yankees (McCutchen, Rizzo, Stanton).

All four players signed contract extensions for 6-10+ years with the teams depicted on this massive booklet.  

Many fans of these franchises were hoping these players would all finish their careers with the Rockies, Cubs, Pirates, and Marlins respectively.

It seems that 1 team franchise players will long be a thing of the past.  The days of Cal Ripken Jr, Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, and Todd Helton type players appear to be gone.  I love the extensions given to Tatis and Acuna, but feel they will one day be traded as well.  

What active player do you think has a chance at staying with one franchise for his entire career?  Can you see Clayton Kershaw or Jacob Degrom pitching for another team?  Will Freddie Freeman test free agency next year and sign with another team? 

I'm back

5 days without a post?

That is the longest stretch I've had on the blog without a post.

Things have been wild and crazy as I worked 73.5 hours this week and that doesn't count the 2 hours driving to and from daily. 

But things should start to settle down.

With news breaking yesterday that Nolan Arenado had been acquired by the Cardinals, I thought it was a good time to show off this behemoth of a booklet.  

Talk about an impressive group of players.

17 All Star Games

1,019 HR

13 Gold Gloves

13 Silver Sluggers

2 MVP

2 Roberto Clemente Award Winners

Three members of 2017 Team USA gold medalists (only Rizzo wasn't on team)

Nolan Arenado is a future Hall of Famer with the projection of his career.  

In his still short career of only 8 seasons, he has finished in top 10 MVP 5 times.  He has gotten the gold glove in every year of his career.  He is also a 4 time Silver Slugger and has lead the National League in Home Runs three years.  

He is signed through the 2026 season and looks to be a problem the Pirates pitching staff will have to face more often for many years to come.

Congrats Cardinals fans!

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. 

Let's Make This Card More Desirable

2020 Topps Museum used to be known as a high end product.  It has Museum in it's name for crying out loud.  That should be highest of quality.

Since Topps Museum debuted in 2013 there have been a number of releases that have eclipsed it as being a higher end.  

The most obvious is Transcendent which costs $26K a case.  Others include the 1 card per box products like Dynasty where you get a prime patch and on card autograph on a card sealed in a One-Touch.  Then there are other on card autograph products like Luminaries, Definitive, and even Five Star.

The short window Topps Museum had as being a top dog high end product are gone.  Nowadays it is upper middle class and that saddens me because I always liked the idea of a pack of Museum being a perfect lottery ticket.

You could get base cards (and parallels) which were perfect for set collectors. You had chances at 1/1 sketch cards or at least a reprint insert set inside every box.  There were guaranteed autographs (many of which were stars or rookies). And there were nasty patches to be had IN EVERY BOX!

Museum was a great product, but it has turned into being a Triple Threads boring younger brother. 

So let's take a Momentous Material Jumbo Patch of Cutch numbered to only 15 copies and discuss what would be needed to make this an even higher end release.

I love jumbo patch cards.  

Even if they contain sticker autos.

I think the card is awesome as is, but according to sales of 2020 autograph McCutchen cards it ranks below Triple Threads

As you can see cards like the ones below that are numbered to 18 or 25 copies sell for more money, which generally shows more demand and interest in those types of cards.

I prefer 1 jumbo patch than 3 smaller plain jerseys (or bats).

Would you rather have 1 jumbo patch of a player you collect OR 3 smaller plain relics (either bat or road grey jerseys)?

Blogging Friends Power Activate

I still don't do a lot of social media.  I don't have a Snapchat, only update my facebook status maybe once a year, don't share videos on YouTube, and have exactly 2 pictures on my Instagram.  This blog is pretty much my only digital footprint I leave regarding my hobby.  

Well, the blog and Twitter that is.  I joined Twitter in June 2019 and have already added some very impressive cards to my collection including a few high end 1/1s.  

Thanks to being on Twitter, my blogging buddy, Daniel of It's Like Having My Own Card Shop was able to message me quickly regarding an Andrew McCutchen jumbo patch he saw for sale on Facebook Market.  I made arrangements with Daniel in a matter of minutes and the seller of the card agreed to sell it to me.  Were it not for Twitter and Daniel's presence on social media, I wouldn't have been able to add this to my collection. 

A few days after messaging Daniel via Twitter, this was in my mailbox.

BOOM!!!!

That is my first jumbo patch of Cutch in a Phillies Jersey and it's a beauty numbered to only 5 copies.

Thank you Daniel for setting this up and the great friendship you've provided over the years with rare Cutch sightings.  

A New Top 10 Card in the Collection

I haven't bought a lot of cards from Twitter, but the ones I have are all quite impressive.

They are all 1 of 1s.

I have had this card in my possession for nearly 2 months waiting to show it off on the blog today, Jackie Robinson Day.

That is the patch worn by Andrew McCutchen on Jackie Robinson Day April 15, 2018.

The card also features an on card autograph.

And it features the MLB Authentication sticker to verify it is game used.

My only gripe with the card is the picture used is not from that game the patch was worn.

Topps already paid Getty Images for the rights to the picture below because it was used on the 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen photo variant.

Here is the photo variant front

I know we all get on Topps for recycling the same images, but a nice cropped shot like this would have really brought the card together more.

Or personally I think this image would have been even better

Despite the mismatched photo to relic I am still incredibly happy to add this to my collection. It has landed itself into the top 10 cards of my collection and is only my 3rd Twitter purchase.

My 1st Twitter purchase was a 1/1 bat barrel nameplate from 2019 Topps Museum that featured Cutch in his new Phillies uniform.

My 2nd Twitter purchase was literally a white whale purchase.

This 2011 Topps Triple Threads printing plate autograph/relic card is marked as a white whale on the back.

This is my 3rd Twitter purchase and I still can't believe I was able to get it.

Thanks again to RBICRU7 for posting the card and for @mycards79 for selling it.


Do you use Twitter to buy cards?

Be sure to follow me on Twitter @CollectingCutch

Woah

In the midst of all the attention the online consigners Probstein and PWCC have been getting I have actually been able to take advantage of some nice deals available.

This was an auction I won back in June.

• Pretty happy with the jumbo patch on this as it is part of the 2 from the front of the Pirates black alternate uniforms.

CSA Show Bound

Tomorrow I will be heading to the Chantilly, VA CSA show with my brother.  We will only be in attendance for a few hours.  If you're heading there, say hi.

I will be wearing a Team USA McCutchen jersey with a backwards Pirates cap.

Here is a fairly recent pickup I snagged.

I got a few other parallels coming in as well.  The uniform is from the 4th of July weekend Series the San Francisco Giants wore in Coors Field against the Rockies last year.

Tier 1 Giants Pickups

While I didn't hit anything big in my player break I showed off a few weeks ago, I have been adding to my McCutchen collection by grabbing some more 2019 Tier One cards.

This jumbo patch appears to be part of the "22" worn on the back of the jersey.  It is numbered to only 20 copies.

I also picked up another autograph.  I think I have to be nearing 200 unique autos at this point. 

The sticker auto is on a grey jersey swatch and is limited to 30 copies.

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

Museum Welcomings

Congratulations to the Hall of Fame Class of 2019.  The Hall finally has it's first unanimous selection in Mariano Rivera.

The Hall of Fame Museum now has the greatest closer and greatest designated hitter in the game. 

Since the Museum is getting bigger with more players elected, I thought I should show off my jumbo patch from 2017 Museum.

Numbered to only 5 copies

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.

Big Patch!!!

What's this?

Just another 1/1 colossal patch of the 2013 NL MVP

No big deal

Congratulations and nothing else...

Tier 1 tends to put out a bunch of lousy jersey swatch single relic cards in their product year after year.  For being a high end set, I would be extremely aggrevated if I got a single small jersey relic in a pack.  Each pack contains only 3 cards (1 relic and 2 autographs).

Here's how I have always viewed Tier 1.
It's an autograph chase set with a few relics as basecards.   I have a few Cutch autos from Tier, one of which was recently acquired from BobWalkThePlank.

There are some extremely nice looking autographs in the set year after year.  Many are on card and have some of the hottest young players in the game in addition to Hall of Famers.

I don't want to hate on the set as a whole though because there are some nice relic cards that can come out of the set.

Such is the case for the Prodigious Patches I recently purchased, which you can see below.

You might look at the pinstripe and Pirates patch uniform thinking, when did they wear uniforms like that?

The answer is the late 90s and early 2000s when the team was lead by Jason Kendall, Aramis Ramirez, and Brian Giles.

As you may recall I showed off this Super Short Print (SSP) Heritage Throwback card back in June.  The card commands hundreds of dollars because of it's rarity and master set collectors.  The patch on the Tier 1 card I recently got is from Cutch's jersey number "2".

Video highlights from the game can be found here.

The back of the card wants to CONGRATULATE you on receiving this card along with some fine print legal information.  No stats.  No write-ups.  Just congratulations.

Speaking of Congratulations...
I want to thank everyone who participated in the Cutch hits #200 contest.  Greg and SCC will be receiving the big prizes (Hall of Fame Autographs), but for everyone who predicted a date I am going to offer up a consolation prize.  If any of you play Fantasy Football you know the joy (and frustrations) of watching a game that your team isn't playing in, but you want 1 or 2 players to do good in those games.  There's probably not a lot of Titans fans here, but if you got Demarco Murray, you're paying attention to how the Titans are doing.

I am offering up this fun rooting exercise for the blogosphere and those that predicted dates.  If Cutch hits a HR on a day that you thought he would go yard for #200 you will receive a prize.  I will try to make the package focused on your team and collecting ways.

The first person to get a prize will be Daniel from It's Like Having my Own Card Shop.  Daniel predicted Cutch would hit #200 on September 16th, but in fact hit career HR #201.

Thanks as always for reading the blog.
God Bless!

Gypsy Queen :The Big Hits!!!

The past few years, Topps has provided fans with some incredible hits in their Gypsy Queen release.

First up the autographs

One of the hardest cards for me to track down in my early days of Collecting Cutch, this on card autograph also features a plain relic.  A few people were trying to put the set together and with only 25 produced, it is almost impossible to track one down now.

This dual auto/dual relic of Hall of Famer, Ralph Kiner and Andrew McCutchen is one of my first Cutch dual autos I added to the collection.

The 2012 card is limited to only 15.

I have gotten the jumbo patch cards in each of the past two years and both cards feature really awesome patches.

The 2015 patch features a massive swatch from Cutch's number and is limited to only 5 copies.

The 2016 patch features the Majestic Logo from the sleeve of a Crawford Grays jersey worn by the Pirates in the 2012 season.  It is numbered to 10 copies.

Easily one of my top 10 favorite cards is this dual button card of Team USA teammates Adam Jones and Andrew McCutchen.  I'm sure there is an Adam Jones supercollector out there who has one of these making the rarity of one of these hitting the market soon very scarce.

Only 3 exist.

While it's not in my Top 10 cards, this Laces Around The League card gets an honorable mention because it is a super thick card that has a massive chunk of a baseball on it.  If it was labeled similar to the Topps Tribute moment cards where you can see the authentication or determine what game it is from, it would be a top 10 card.

Only 5 exist.

To wrap things up is an extremely limited manufactured flag patch.  I am not a big fan of manufactured relics, but I got this for about 75% of the average sale price of these.

Much like many of the other hits on this post, it is numbered to only 5 copies.