Enter The Multiverse

Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home is available for digital download I thought it would be fun to discuss the multiverse of card collecting.

If you are into the Marvel movies, go watch Spider-Man: No Way Home!!!

It's Amazing (no pun intended)

It's no secret that Topps and Panini have been pumping out dozens of parallels over the past few years.  Sometimes they may look similar to one another, but very often there are bold enough color changes that you can tell a magenta speckled from the standard pink refractor

 or differiante the lime green donut circles from the forest green flash variants.  

Every now and then though they release these variants (Loki reference) that look a lot like the original.

Right before the holiday season I was able to grab a pair of Superfractors that look nearly identical.

These Superfractors look nearly identical, right?

Well, if you turn them over you will see the only difference of these 1/1s.

One is the standard Topps Chrome Update Superfractor and the other is the Topps Chrome Update Sapphire Superfractor.

We are probably all familar with Topps releasing value boxes that contain a chrome pack with their Update release each year.  These Topps Update Chrome parallels are often very sought after as they were produced in very limited supply.  

Topps has been making a product called Topps Sapphire since 2016 and has recently made a Topps Update Sapphire addition as well.  Oddly enough this Topps Update Sapphire edition doesn't always follow the same numbering as your standard Topps Update set or Topps Update Chrome edition.  

All these parallels and multiple issues are getting tough to keep up with. 

Do you think Fanatics will continue the parallel trend that Topps and Panini has been building upon over the past few years? 

Scripture Sunday: John 11:25

✝Happy Easter Everyone✝

With it being Easter Sunday, I thought it was appropriate to show off some cards of Cutch that show him wearing his cross armband over the years while playing for 4 teams.

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. 

What are your Easter Sunday plans?

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).

6 years in the making

Topps Triple Threads has been around for a long time.  

The high end set has been offered to the hobby since it's debut in 2006 and has been mostly associated with as a baseball product despite also having early releases (thanks to license agreements) for basketball and football.  

The base set when it debuted had parallels and a 120 base set.  Triple Threads became famous for their triple relic or triple autographs, but those early releases had REALLY NICE CLASSY designs with limited parallels to chase.  

The original set had sepia (/150), emerald (/99), gold (/50), sapphire (/25), and platinum (1/1) parallels. 

To put into perspective the "parallel era" the hobby is in now, the 2020 set had it's base set reduced to only 100 subjects, but also had 9 parallels in addition to the base card.  The 2020 set has amber (/199), amethyst (/299), citrine (/75), emerald (/275), gold (/99), onyx (/50), sapphire (/25), ruby (1/1), 4 printing plates (1/1 each) and yellow (unnumbered).

The sapphire has always been one of the harder parallels to get besides any of the 1/1 printing plates or 1/1 ruby (formerly platinum).  It is the only parallel that has remained consistent over the brand's duration. 

Suddenly over the past few months I have seen a bunch of the McCutchen Triple Threads sapphire cards pop up for sale (over various product release years).  I am not the only super collector noticing this too.  Other player collectors have made comments about these suddenly becoming more available.

I already had a bunch of other Triple Threads parallels, but adding this 2014 Triple Threads to the collection is a very much welcomed addition.  It was my last purchase of 2020 and one of my first new cards to receive in 2021.  One of my goals for 2021 is to add 50 new Pirates playing days McCutchen cards to the collection.

Amazing cards, great prices

2020 has been a brutal year. I don't even have to talk about pandemics or political agendas (from either party) or racial injustice to say that this year has sucked.

One thing that hasn't sucked is the BOOM! in the card industry.  While there have been plenty of abnormal prices with many other players, Cutch's older cards have actually remained very cheap.

I may have over 3K unique cards of Cutch, but there are still plenty more for me to collect (especially cards from his post Pirates career).  

This is my latest card that I got really excited about.

This is a 2012 Topps Triple Threads sapphire parallel numbered to only 25 copies.  These older Triple Threads parallels are getting really tough to come by, especially these sapphire cards.

The back features a pretty cool fact about Cutch.  In only his second full season, he was able to become the 8th player in Pirates history to have a 20/20 season.  He would go and repeat that feat for four seasons.  The third fact about his mother, is the really cool one.  I knew she could sing as she sang the National Anthem at a few Pirates games, but I never knew that she was a top volleyball player.

I am really happy I was able to get this card for my collection.

I was able to get this card (and 3 others) for only $7.99

Here are the other cards in the collection including an amazing die cut refractor from Topps Chrome.

Here are the other two cards in the lot.

I have both of these chrome base cards, but never showed off the back of either.

Check out that spray chart for Cutch's homeruns in 2013:

A lot of players tend to hit the ball pullside and very few connect for all fields.

This is Cutch's HR chart over his career.

Talk about a thing of beauty...

A Purple Gem Is Added

I have shown off a few of the 2019 Topps Austin Barnes card and yesterday I discussed the game that the card was from (arguably one of Cutch's greatest single game performances).

I am continuing to seek out any of the parallels for this card.

Yesterday I got a big one in the form of 2019 Sapphire purple.

The purple parallel is numbered to only 10 copies.

Cardboard Cameos: Something New and Shiny

Chris from The Collector clued me into this card even existing back in August of last year.  I was completely unaware of McCutchen appearing in a Giants uniform on a Dodgers card on a cardboard release the year that McCutchen played for the Phillies.  I am forever grateful that he pointed it out.

I am VERY SLOWLY trying to put this rainbow together.  I wanted to knock out my favorites first.

So I grabbed the pink and mini pink to use for my SaveSecondBase Event I do annually. 

I am now going after the Chrome Sapphire cards because that shine is amazing.

This is the orange parallel of 2019 Topps Sapphire numbered to 25 copies.

Thank you again Chris for pointing out this cameo.

Current needs for this card include
Flagship: base, black, fathers day blue, independence day, gold, Montgomery Club, vintage stock, platinum

Mini: Red, base

Sapphire: Superfractor, Red,

Surprise Mailings

Sorry I haven't been reading many blogs and commenting or posting daily this month.  Life has been busy.  I don't think my Black History Month agenda has gone as well as I planned.  Due to a busy life schedule and some writer's block I haven't been motivated to make daily posts.

Fortunately a trio of readers have sent me some packages over the past few days.

It felt like Christmas getting all these fun packages I wasn't expecting.

I promise October will bring daily posts cause everyone likes that kinda thing.

Brad from Brad's Blog sent me a text about having an extra 2019 Chrome Sapphire Cutch.  He sent it my way along with a few Topps coins.

Look at THE SHINE on that sapphire!!!

Mark aka Fuji from Chronicles of Fuji

Fuji hooked me up with a bunch of awesome cards.
The Charlie Morton on top left is a card I needed.  I haven't been supercollecting Charlie like I used to because he is appearing in A LOT more products than he used to when I literally only needed 1 non 1/1 card prior to 2017.
He also included pair of Willie Stargell relics, a Ralph Kiner bat relic, a Starling Marte Holiday Relic.  I needed them all.

I love the Bobby Bonilla 1989 All Star card. I might send it out as a TTM.  The Bill Virdon is a card I never seen before.

The Clemente In the bottom right corner is a true 1/1 sketch by Jayson Johnson.

This is a 1963 Post Cereal topper of Don Hoak.  Don Hoak was nicknamed "The Tiger".  He is best known for committing a fielding error IN THE 13TH INNING of a perfect game when Harvey "the kitten" Haddix was on the mound.  Despite a .282 average and only 16 homeruns while committing 26 errors at third base, he actually was the runner up to the National League MVP award in 1960.

I love the old Kellogg's cards. Love them!!!
Pie Traynor is the greatest third baseman in Pirates history.  He is a Hall of Famer and his number 20 has been retired by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
(Here's hoping the Pirates retire 22 one day to keep 20, 21, and 22 in legendary fashion for years to come).


Unknown mailing
I seem to remember someone mentioning having the Gallery card for me, but I don't know who sent this package.  It didn't have a return address.

If you sent me this package please leave a comment so I can thank you properly.

Thank you everyone for the surprise packages.  It is VERY MUCH appreciated.