2013 COMC pickups #16: penultimate Putz!

We're down to the penultimate post in my 2013 COMC pickups series!  I made sure to save some of the best for last, but today I've got one last J.J. Putz recap since I picked up so much of him in my several packages to-date.  I just did a quick count and came up with something like 76!  His is a PC I continue to work at as I strive to hit the 50% mark as I've done with many of my other baseball collections.

Here's the last 16 COMC Putz cards I picked up in the first half of 2013:

J.J. Putz 2002 Fleer Genuine RC (#1665/2002)

This card is genuinely high-class, with a shiny blue border (that's probably very chip-friendly) and that cool silver/orange stamp that identifies this as part of the Genuine Upside subset.  Not pictured but on the back is a nicely boxed-in serial number, plus a little bit of stat-age.  The only thing I'd say is missing here is a quick blurb on the back that explains why Fleer is labeling him as a guy with "upside."

J.J. Putz 2002 Topps Chrome Traded Refractor

Every post is better when it includes a Refractor!  The 2002 set translated well into its various parallels for whatever reason, and I really like the looks of this one.  This was the last card I needed from '02 Topps/Chrome Traded as it goes along with his Traded base and Gold, plus Chrome Traded base and Black Refractor.  I guess that's not much of a rainbow but it's good enough for me and I'm happy to have it done.  Maybe I'll throw all of them up at once in a future post.

J.J. Putz 2002 UD Piece of History RC (#112P) (#204/625)

'02 Piece of History already looks pretty good on its own, but for some reason the glossiness and shiny lettering on this card really make for a nice final product.  In case you're wondering what the difference is between this version and its "A" variation, (like I was) the latter reverses the two top photos, has a slightly different color scheme, and it doesn't have the shiny rainbow lettering, meaning I definitely like this one best between the pair.  By the way, of Putz's 23 2002 rookie-year cards, I'm now in possession of 13.

J.J. Putz 2006 Upper Deck

J.J. Putz 2007 Upper Deck

J.J. Putz 2008 Upper Deck First Edition

Here's a small sample of 2006-08 Upper Deck sets.  I'll never understand the purpose of barely-different sets like First Edition and Topps Opening Day, but I do have to say the third card here looks fantastic with exactly zero border going on, just the way I like 'em.  The '06 set looks quite nice too, and it's something UD kind of went back to three years later, as you'll see shortly.  The '07 is not among my favorites because of the weird side borders, which just don't work for me.

J.J. Putz 2008 Upper Deck Goudey

J.J. Putz 2008 Upper Deck Goudey Mini Blue Backs

J.J. Putz 2008 Upper Deck Goudey Mini Green Backs (#24/88)

J.J. Putz 2008 Upper Deck Goudey Mini Red Backs

Aside from having to look at Jeter's stupid mug on every single card, this isn't a bad set.  Again I won't really waste time debating the value of insert sets that differentiate themselves on card backs, as opposed to the Green Backs which are also green fronts and are actually serial-numbered.  So now I just need the Black Back /34 and Taupe (TAUPE?!) /8.  Moving on....

J.J. Putz 2008 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee

J.J. Putz 2009 O-Pee-Chee

I dunno, Upper Deck's O-Pee-Chee offerings just don't bring back the nostalgia of Topps' versions.  The Mets card does have its nice features, though, including a throwback cardboard feel, so that's a plus.  The '08 actually hails from a UD insert set while the '09 is its own complete base set that includes four other Putz inserts.

J.J. Putz 2009 Upper Deck (#334)

J.J. Putz 2009 Upper Deck (#755)

J.J. Putz 2009 Upper Deck First Edition (#351)

J.J. Putz 2009 Upper Deck Gold (#334) (#66/99)

These last four complete what's been a UD-heavy post!  As I said, the '09 set definitely borrowed some elements from '06, which I consider a good thing.  Again, the First Edition set seems kind of pointless, with an extra border that detracts from the front, plus a different, non-foil team logo in the corner.  Oh yeah, and they're numbered differently.  Super.  Anyway, the highlight here is the Gold parallel from Series 1.  The good news is I also have the Series 2 Gold on the way from eBay and expect to have that soon.

16 new Putz cards give J.J. a brand spanking new IHAS count of 139 (and three 1/1s) for a total of about 46% of his regular PC.  I'm betting another COMC run next month will give me a good shot at hitting that 50% goal, but we shall see.

Tune in again this week for the grand finale of my 2013 year-to-date COMC haul!