2013 COMC pickups #11: Hingle McCringleberry and other college football stars

A youtube video (a bit of an oldie but a goodie) inspired me to do today's post.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Key & Peele's "East/West College Bowl":

I'm wondering if I didn't make the wrong college choice--maybe I could have walked on at the University of South Flurrida.

Anyway, I decided it was time to do another COMC football pickup post, so here's 10 new ones for y'all:

Adrian Arrington 2008 Upper Deck Icons Rookie Autographs Rainbow auto (#135/135)

Please withhold your "eBay 1/1" jokes as those don't fly around these here parts.  Arrington consistently has a pretty interesting signature, and in this case it resides on a sticker on this card with a bit of a strange design.  I really hope AA gets a shot at some PT before all is said and done.  Make it 39 hits for Adrian.  Yo!

Jason Avant 2006 Finest Autographs Refractor auto

Jason Avant 2009 Topps Career Best auto

Speaking of consistency, Avant is the subject of some of my best football PC cards a large percentage of the time for some reason.  Maybe his rookie year, 2006, was a time for great card design.  Either way, I really like that Refractor auto--and really, it would take a LOT to get me to dislike any PC card that involves the words "Refractor" and "auto."  The Career Best auto is quite nice itself, and I really like the large amount of red on it for some reason.  By the way, I also have the Mike Hart from the same set.  Avant climbs a couple spots to 36 hits.

Brandon Graham 2010 Donruss Rated Rookies auto

I'm not going to go so far as to call this a "white whale" card, but I've been after it for quite some time.  I think the biggest reason for that is that it might actually be short-printed to just 25 copies (though it's not numbered) if I understand correctly.  I actually saw one come up on COMC a year or two ago and the price just wasn't right, but this time I gladly snapped up the copy I found.  I have a sentimental fondness for the Rated Rookie name, and picked up a box set (opened, no auto) of this release at a show a while back.  It just didn't seem worth it to play the lottery when there were so many scrub autos.  My patience paid off, and now I have one of my favorite Grahams of all time.  This one bumps him up to 16 cards, by the way.

Leon Hall 2007 SP Chirography auto RC (#123/399)

"Chirography" is another collecting name I'm very familiar with thanks to my many years in the hobby.  SP Authentic has a reputation for nice autographs and that certainly fits the bill here.  The design is quite nice, and the fact that this doubles as a RC is a good bonus.  I'm hoping for a return to some nice numbers like he had in 2009-2010.  Speaking of numbers, this is Hall #29 for me.

David Harris 2007 Topps Triple Threads triple jersey auto RC (#43/99)

It's been, what, a whole two days since we've seen a Triple Threads card around here?  Harris is represented pretty well in my PC, and a good sign of that is that this is my second TTT card of his as I'd already landed the Sapphire version.  Like the Hall above, I love that this doubles (triples?) as a rookie card of one of the better young defenders in the league.  So yeah, I'd say my 19th (I see a disturbing trend being established here) David Harris is a pretty nice one!

Mike Hart 2008 SP Rookie Edition '94 auto

All things being equal I'd rather see Hart in his old Michigan #20 jersey, but I just can't say no to the sweetness that is an SP throwback card.  As noted, this one reuses the 1994 design, and that's bookended by a pair of cards I already own, the '93 and '95 editions, both of which I also like very much.  Then again, I don't know that you can go wrong with any hit of Sparty's Big Brother.  Hart currently sits on the precipice of a major milestone with 49 hits!

Chad Henne 2008 Absolute Memorabilia Rookie Premiere Materials NFL jersey-ball-jersey (#093/199)

Chad Henne 2008 Leaf Certified Materials Rookie Fabric of the Game NFL Die Cut triple jersey (#29/99)

Chad Henne 2008 Upper Deck Premier quad jersey auto RC (#091/275)

I don't know if you've gotten to this point and assume I saved the best for last or if you already realize I've just been going alphabetically, but sometimes things just work out that way.  Yesterday you saw one of my COMC Henne pickups, which was definitely the most significant, but today's three are no slouches either.  I think I've well established that I'm a fan of Absolutes RPM cards, but if I wasn't clear, I own two other versions of Henne's alone:  the autographed version of the above, plus an "NFC" triple relic as well.

Speaking of triple relics, I think the LCM triple jersey card is pretty cool as well.  It's also "event-worn" from the Rookie Premiere, but isn't everything these days?  It pairs three nice swatches of Miami Dolphins jersey with a nice Henne action shot.

Finally, the Premier card is a pretty big win for me since I've been after it, or at least one of the versions of it, for quite a while.  It's definitely one of his better rookies, but the fact that it combines four jersey swatches and an autograph probably made that pretty obvious to you already.  There's just a lot to like about it and I'm happy to have picked it up.  These three ended a day of almost-milestones with a new Henne hit total of 59 as he bids to become player number two to hit 60 in my football PC (Jake Long with 64+).  That's just more motivation for me to get back to work on acquiring more cards of the players sitting on the nines!  That and I'm at 725 PC cards and counting as I move forward with my goal of 750 by the end of the year (uh, yeah, I think I'll make it...by the end of the month).

You should see another post from me pretty soon, and I'll be taking a quick break from COMC stuff to post an unexpected but very welcome trade package!