2017 eBay purchases: coal in my stocking, and more!

While my purchasing has definitely gone down this year, at least in terms of money spent, I've still managed to turn up a few gems on eBay, and today we'll look at what I bought from sellers there in the final third of 2017:

Now that's a big Shoelace!  This 2015 Topps 5x7 Red (#13/25, almost a Christmas card!) of Denard came as a freebie from my favorite eBay seller after I snagged the two Rich Hill oversized issues you can see over on TMV today.  It was a fun throw-in to get and to add to my grown collection of the out-of-the-league RB.

Moving on and up, I added one new signature to my football hits collection, Devin Funchess 2015 Leaf Trinity Pure Autographs Charcoal auto.  Yep, there's the coal I mentioned despite the fact that I was so good this year!  Well, at least I got a break on the price (under $4.50 delivered back in mid-October).  You can find some very cool looking cards in Leaf's Trinity product, including ones with great jersey swatches and patches and some with fun autograph inscriptions.  Then there's these Pure Autographs, which totally merit a front/back scan for maximum effect.  Of course I love the college uniform aspect as well, making this an excellent card overall, and my second autograph (seventh hit) of the supremely talented WR.

Now it's time to get into the plates I mentioned on TMV.  Up first is one I didn't really expect to win:  a Yellow version of DL Taco Charlton from Panini's XR product this year.  The Dallas first-rounder was very productive at Michigan and has done some good things as a rookie for the Cowboys, so while I bid for fun, I was surprised to nab it for a bit over $10 shipped.  It's certainly a fun first hit of @TheSupremeTaco to add to my collection.

Sticking with 2017 Panini football products, this one was also a surprise, not because of the price--under $6 delivered--but because I didn't realize Ty Law was going to be appearing in any recent products.  When I saw this pop up in the results of my usual 1/1 search I did a double-take before confirming that it featured the former Michigan and Patriots star DB.  I'm still lacking an autograph of the future HOFer but it's nice to have a plate handy for a potential trifecta (or better)!

The plate fun spilled over into my hockey collection as well.  This Andrew Cogliano Cyan version from 2007-08 The Cup set me back a reasonable $7 on the first day of October, and it's another example of the "framed" style I like that UD has done in the past.  Cogliano is shown here with his original team, Edmonton, but has been with the Ducks for the past six-plus seasons.  I now count 11 hits of him in my collection with this being my first 1/1.

If Michigan Hockey alum Chris Brown's hometown of Flower Mound, Texas, seems strange for a hockey player, Jon Merrill's birthplace of Oklahoma City is up there as well.  A solid defenseman formerly with the Devils (don't tell Herm Edwards), he was selected by and plays for the upstart Vegas Golden Knights, the expansion team that's shocked the league by being the opposite of terrible this year.  He's shown here with the team that drafted him on a 2013-14 Dominion Cyan plate, a 1/1 I nabbed in mid-November for under $4.50 shipped.  As with everyone else here it's the first plate in his collection, plus it puts me at six hits of Merrill overall.

In general I'd say I had a productive last four months of the year on eBay.  Even though I didn't add a large quantity of cards the quality was very nice if I do say so myself.  And between both of today's posts I added five new 1/1s to my collection for a grand total of 94.  I now have surpassing the century mark in my sights in 2018!

That's it for eBay, but thanks to my laziness I still have plenty of 2017 purchases left to show off into next year.

2016 trade package #12: Dollar Store Hockey Mikes Galore (and more!)

If you're over here tonight chances are you already saw half of my haul from the latest package I received from Doug of Sports Cards From the Dollar Store over on TMV.  Thanks for heading over to see the Wolverine half!

While the other half was all hockey--all Red Wings in fact--all four major sports are represented here, some more than others.  Nice variety is a hallmark of Doug's packages, though, so I wasn't surprised by that, just happy as usual with some great new additions:

Representing baseball is this Hal Morris that's entirely new to my collection.  That's not too much of a surprise--while I don't dislike '91 Fleer like many others seem to, I simply don't own any complete sets from that year, and it's the kind of card I'm more likely to receive in a trade instead of buying online.  Hence, this worked out perfectly for me.  That's #106 of the guy whose team had won it all the previous year.

Basketball kicks off with a very nice Prestige card of former star Trey Burke, heads back to a pair of sweet Donruss issues of Jamal Crawford and Juwan Howard, then finishes with a trio of C-Webbs.  I really like the look of the Donruss cards thanks to their full-bleed photos, retro-ish elements, and logo stamps.  Then again, I tend to prefer Panini's recent stuff to Topps' these days.

Birthday boy Tom Brady (happy 39, Twelve!) headlines a football trio that includes former #1 Braylon Edwards and a 2008 Score RC of blog favorite Chad Henne.  Hey, Tom's only six years older than I am, that gives me time to win four Super Bowls of my own to tie him!

Hockey continued to be very well represented in this side of the package, naturally, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Hockey Mike #1 today is Cammalleri, who'll hopefully get back over the 30-goal mark with the Devils this coming season.  Talented C Andrew Cogliano ended his eight-year streak of double-digit goals this year but maybe the new season will bring more success for the Anaheim Duck.  Jack MF Johnson is looking sharp on a nice horizontal card that I didn't have room to scan in that orientation.  Hockey Mike #2 is Knuble, who enjoyed a nice long career and one Cup victory with Detroit.  And Patch brings us back to active players as he jumps his place in line (my fault, see next scan).

I'm not sure how that sticker of Hockey Mike #3, Komisarek, slipped behind the first of three Pacioretty cards, but once I noticed I was too lazy to re-scan.  Oh well!  Trouba is another talented current player looking sharp in his Jets uni.  And we close things out with another blog favorite, Marty Turco, both in Gold Medallion and sticker form.

And now the hockey hits, supplied generously as usual by Doug:

Mike Brown 2014-15 Upper Deck MVP Pro Sign auto

This recent MVP auto of Brown--Hockey Mike #4 today--is my second of the oft-traveled penalty machine.  In this case he doesn't appear with his whimsical mustache, so it's good I have one where he does.  He closed out last year with Montreal, his sixth team, and I'm curious to see what 2016-17 will bring for him.

Carl Hagelin 2013-14 Crown Royale Coat of Arms Materials jersey

And the Bork is back  Here's Hagelin on a Crown Royale relic that honors Pacific designs of yore.  As you might expect I was thrilled to see him win the Cup with the Pens last season after coming over from Anaheim.  He put up some nice numbers in the second half of the regular season, then 16 points (six goals) in the playoffs for the champs.  That makes this a nice time to add my seventh hit of the one of the former crowd favorites at Yost.

Thanks for all the fun new stuff, Doug, and I look forward to sending you an envelope that's already bursting at the seams whenever your mail service gets back to normal!

2016 trade package #10: Sports Cards From the MacGyver Store

It's that time again:  time for another Sports Cards From the Dollar Store trade package!  Doug's actually responsible for the most recent package I showed off here back in April.  This time he "MacGyvered up something" that would allow a couple cards he'd promised me (and more) to arrive safely, and in that (and the content) he did NOT disappoint!

Today's appetizer is this pair of 2015-16 Panini-branded cards of former Michigan star Trey Burke, and they couldn't be more different if they tried.  On the left is Complete, a throwback-type set with a more vintagey (as in non-glossy) card stock.  Just a white border, nice photo, the player's name, and some logos.  Meanwhile, Trey's Select Prizm (I believe this is the Tri-Color version) is shiny, in-your-face colorful, and has something more like a Chrome feel to it.  People can rag on Panini all they like but I'm still in their corner.

For the main course here are five hockey Wolverines cards.  Cogliano starts off with a base card from this year's UD release and a numbered parallel from 2013-14 (hard to see, but it's 048/100).  Wolverwing Dylan Larkin makes a much-appreciated appearance with this Red parallel from this year's O-Pee-Chee Update set, and I don't think they could have picked a better color for his team.  John Madden doesn't get a ton of airtime around here so I make sure to show off stuff when folks like Doug include him.  And finally, Max Pacioretty makes the first of two appearances today with a Blue parallel (#d 086/499) from this year's UD Countours product.  Again, a very nice choice of color that goes well with Montreal's unis (not to mention Michigan's!).

Max Pacioretty 2015-16 Upper Deck Game Jerseys jersey

For dessert, also from this year's UD flagship product (seeing a theme?) is a nicely-done jersey relic of Patch.  It's my third hit of the sniper in my hockey PC and a nice way to highlight his third straight and fourth overall 30-goal season.

And for an after-dinner snack, here's the card that required MacGyvering:  

1997-98 Beehive was a Pinnacle product that honored a series of photos produced between 1934 and 1967 (click here to learn more about them).  The whole set measures in at 5x7 making these pieces larger than average and that much cooler because of it.

Naturally I'm thrilled to get Morrison's card, not only because it's obviously an amazing piece, but also because it counts as a rookie.  Oh yeah, and the back mentions his career at Michigan, including one of my favorite moments:

As you can see, the front takes advantage of the extra space with a great photo while the back goes with a second, black-and-white image, typical bio info, a short write-up, and a trivia question, with most of the text available in English and French.  Nice!

Doug, thanks once again for some fun additions--and careful packaging!  Whenever my latest COMC package arrives I'll have some interesting things to send over to your side of the border.

2015 trade package #5: a February TPTP from SCFtDS (Wolverines)

Doug from at Sports Cards From the Dollar Store is one of a few guys I love to trade with since he so consistently puts in the effort to send great trade items that hit PCs for both of my blogs.  That was once again the case this month as Mr. Corti is responsible for a two-part trade package (TPTP) featuring cards here as well as others that can be viewed on this evening's Too Many Verlanders post.

Here's some Wolverines that legally crossed the border this month:

As usual I start with anything baseball he sends my way, and this time Doug was able to add to my Larkin PC (248 cards strong!) with this '93 Pinnacle base card, along with a Jim Abbott from 1992 UD.

Next up is some basketballers.  THJ has done pretty solidly for the Knicks this year, carrying on a fine Michigan tradition in the NBA.  The other two Prizm cards make me wonder if I should start a new PC called "Michigan relatives" since Doug sent me one each of Shane Larkin (Barry's son, obviously), Hardaway's fellow 2013 first-rounder and teammate, and Glen Rice Jr., a Washington prospect currently in the D-League and whose bloodlines are similarly obvious.  Very cool!

Moving on to football it's a QB controversy!  The 2014 Contenders of Henne is one I know I didn't have before for sure, and that Absolute Brady may be new as well.  I hope to see all three of these guys make some noise next season, especially Shoelace.

Highlighting the package as usually is Canada's national sport, starting out with some base cards.  I'm pretty sure Doug's responsible for every single Jeff Norton (not that many, though!) in my collection; Nystrom's pictured with Dallas here but has scored a few goals for the league-leading Preds; and my favorite of the bunch is the quartet of Patch cards as he's simply torn up the 2014-15 campaign with 30 goals, 53 points, and a league-leading +34 +/-, PLUS he's tied for the league high in game-winning goals with three others--including fellow alum Mike Cammalleri--with eight.  So I say, keep the Paciorettys coming, friends!

And lastly there's the hockey hits:

Andrew Cogliano 2007-08 ITG O Canada auto

A very young Cogs signed this card picturing him with Team Canada some eight years ago!  I have a surprising nine hits of him now.

Carl Hagelin 2012-13 Panini Titanium Metallic Marks auto

Bork!  Hagelin signed a sticker for this card in which he's pictured in dire need of a haircut.  He's had a bit of a down year offensively, but he's plenty talented to turn things around next season as far as I'm concerned.  I really have to thank Doug for sending what's just my second autograph of the talented Swede (and third hit overall).

Jon Merrill 2013-14 Panini Titanium Rookie Gear Autographs jersey auto (#020/100)

Here's what I definitely consider the WOW card of the package.  Merrill is an up-and-coming defenseman for the Devils and so far in my experience his stuff isn't cheap, so I was definitely impressed to pull this auto/jersey from the envelope.  It's my third hit of Jon and amazingly all of them include an autograph!

Jacob Trouba 2013-14 Upper Deck Rookie Materials jersey

Speaking of talented defensemen, how about a jersey of young Jets star Jacob Trouba?  The second-year former Wolverine is on track to repeat his 10 goals from last year and he looks to have a bright future.  May he have a career the likes of predecessor Aaron Ward, or better!  This is my second relic and third hit overall of the Rochester, MI native.

Thanks for bolstering my Wolverines PCs once again, Doug, and as I said in the TMV post, I hope you like what I sent you once it shows up.  Readers, please get to reading the posts of and trading with Canada's finest at Sports Cards From the Dollar Store.

2013 COMC pickups #14: C-U-P. I want a C-U... Oh, my God!

Well, hockey fans, it's the first game of the 2012-13 Stanley Cup Finals, and as far as I'm concerned, this year's matchup looks like this:

Chicago is the giant douche, obviously

Basically, not the pair of teams I was hoping for, since Boston fans are no prize either.  No Red Wings and no Michigan alumni left means I pretty much won't be watching, not that the NHL will miss me.

Still, all the same I decided to commemorate today's Game 1 by showing off my remaining hockey pickups from COMC:

Andrew Cogliano 2007-08 SPx dual jersey auto RC (#336/999)

Andrew Cogliano 2009-10 Upper Deck Champ's Signatures auto

Wow, that's the way to kick things off!  You've seen Cogliano here before, but as a quick recap, he was a two-year starter in Ann Arbor who scored 36 goals and 46 points in 77 collegiate games.  Edmonton made him the 25th overall pick in 2005, and he then went straight to the NHL after his sophomore season, putting up an 18-27-45 line in his rookie season.  He was traded to Anaheim before the 2011-12 season and has been with them since, continuing to put up double-digit goal totals.  

Ok, maybe that wasn't so quick, but anyway, this stunning pair of cards comes to my collection for the crazy low price of about $5.50 combined!  SPx has turned out some pretty sweet RC hits in multiple sports, and this one's certainly a shining example of that.  I was very happy to get a pair of different colors of jersey swatches which, as a bonus, weren't white.  The signature, featuring his jersey number, is a huge plus.  That's no knock against the UD mini, which looks fantastic, especially in-person where you can get a better sense of scale.  These cards represent my 6th and 7th of Cogs, and given how talented of a scorer he can be, I'm going to get to work on reaching double digits as soon as I can!

Andrew Ebbett 2008-09 SPx dual jersey RC (#0631/1299)

Today's other Andrew, Ebbett is also no stranger to this here blog.  He stuck around for his four-year Michigan tenure before signing with the Sens as a UDFA.  He then signed with the Ducks the following year, and bounced up and down before being claimed by the Hawks and Wild over the course of a few seasons, then signed with the Coyotes before ending up with Vancouver, his current team.

This is a beautiful three-color dual jersey RC of a guy I hope sees more playing time next year.  And of course, it's another great example of a spiffy SPx rookie!  Chalk up card #4 of Ebbett.

Brendan Morrison-Marty Turco 2001-02 Titanium Double-Sided Jerseys dual jersey

I've kind of moved on from relic cards for the most part, not so much because of their questionable authenticity as much as a lack of interest compared to autographs.  That went completely out the window when this dual-sided jersey card showed up during my usual COMC searching.  For $1.89 I grabbed a dual relic of my two favorite all-time UM icers!  Better yet, while Morrison's swatch is a single color, it's not a boring-ass white piece, and Turco's features two colors.  This is definitely a big win for my collection, and I applaud Pacific for recognizing the link between a couple college hockey alumni.  Speaking of those two guys, their new hit totals are 13 for B-Mo and 14 for Turco.

Steve Shields 1997-98 Be A Player auto

And speaking of cards with interesting backs, this Shields auto is the only one today that features a blurb about the player instead of a second relic or a "congratulations" message.  The reason that interests me:  "A standout for four seasons at the University of Michigan where he became the NCAA all-time wins leader" is the sentence that begins the back blurb.  Because Turco is often celebrated as one of the all-time great NCAA goalies, I hadn't realized that Shields was the first collegiate goalie to 100 career wins.  Turco later surpassed that mark, but it's still crazy impressive.

Steve played for six NHL teams in his 12-season career and is one of a proud line of Michigan-graduated NHL goaltenders.  And he's got a pretty sweet signature too!  This is my fourth Shields PC card, all of which are still autos, a streak I hope to continue.

Well, today's five added in to the old hockey PC make for a new sport total of 76, meaning I surpassed yet another resolution goal before the year was even half up.  While this may again be too conservative, I'm going to amend that to 100, and I won't be surprised at all if I get help from north of the border!

To those watching the finals tonight, good luck to your favorite team (even yours, Jeff).  Me, I'm just looking forward to the end of the NBA finals (and hopefully a Miami embarrassment) so we can get back to having the spotlight on baseball once again.

COMC haul #26: another 13 for '13: hockey's back!

(Note:  all COMC haul posts can be accessed here)

So it sounds like hockey is maybe sorta could be back.  That plus the fact that COLLEGE hockey is still going on (though not so well for the Wolverines this year) is reason enough to show off the rest of my COMC hockey pickups!

Andrew Cogliano 2009-10 OPC Premier Stitchings manupatch (#029/199)

I already had a relic and couple autos of Cogs, but this looked like a fun and unique card to add to his collection.  The patch refers to games Cogliano's Oilers played in 2008 on March 7, 9 and 11 against the Blue Jackets, Hawks and Blues.  That's an NHL record and what's even cooler is that his game stick and gloves are now in the Hockey Hall of Fame.  I'll have to check those out the next time in I'm Toronto!

Andy Hilbert 2005-06 ITG Heroes and Prospects jersey

If this set looks sorta familiar, that's probably because I also have a sweet nameplate patch, also of Hilbert, that I picked up at a show a while ago.  Now THAT's a game-used jersey!

Bill Muckalt 1998-99 Be A Player auto

Muckalt's also not exactly unfamiliar to this blog as I also have a Bowman's Best autograph of his.  He was part of both of Michigan's "recent" national titles ('96 and '98) and that's as good of a reason for me to collect him as any, just like his teammate

Brendan Morrison 1999-00 BAP Millennium Gold auto

Brendan Morrison 1999-00 Stadium Club Lone Star Signatures auto

Brendan Morrison!  My favorite Michigan forward ever was well-represented this time with a pair of nice autographs.  The Be-a-Player cards are decent, if nothing special, but that Lone Star auto is super nice, and you've gotta love the on-card auto action.  Topps also used the same autograph set in Stadium Club baseball and they also had an outstanding design in my opinion.  I don't know what's so great about it, but for me, the design and colors just mesh well.  Morrison now needs just one more card to join the double-digit hit club, so that'll be a priority for me next time I order from COMC.

Eric Nystrom 2005-06 SPx jersey auto RC (#1310/1499)

SPx has been the home of some really premium RCs, and Nystrom's here is definitely no exception.  I initially thought this was a patch, but as it turns out, it's just a really nice multi-color jersey from a Flames sweater.  This is just my second hit of the former UM star and I hope to get more before long.

Jack Johnson 2007-08 Sweet Shot Signature Shots Puck Signings auto

JMFJ!  This is actually my SECOND hit of Johnson thanks to Douglas of Sports Cards From the Dollar Store.  Jack just has a REALLY nice signature, and I know I won't be able to resist getting more like this.  The Sweet Shot set is the hockey sibling of Sweet Spot sets found in baseball and football, and the manupuck auto idea is as fun as the manufactured hits in the other sports--in fact, it may be the design that makes the most sense.  A very cool card of my favorite Michigan defenseman ever.

Kevin Porter 2008-09 SPx jersey auto RC (#431/999)

Porter was an absolute beast for Michigan, especially during his senior season when he led Michigan to yet another Frozen Four berth (where we lost, sadly, to Notre Dame) thanks to his play that also garnered him the Hobey Baker award, a.k.a. the "Hockey Heisman."  Like the Nystrom, this is a really cool way to pick up a RC of one of your school's greatest offensive players ever.

Marty Turco 2006-07 SP Authentic Sign of the Times auto

Ok, we've got my favorite forward and defenseman, so why not my favorite goalie as well?  There was NO way I was gonna let this package arrive without at least one Turco hit, and as it turns out, I did quite well with this very nice looking autograph.  SPA's Sign of the Times set has been around seemingly forever, which means they've had plenty of time to get it right, and they sure did here.  This card is also special as it allows Turco, my hockey PC's hit leader, to be the first to reach the double digit mark as I now have four relics and six autos of the former Wolverine record-setter!

Mike Cammalleri 2005-06 Beehive Signature Scrapbook auto

Mike Cammalleri 2007-08 Sweet Shot Signature Shots Puck Signings auto

Cammalleri was the other player to be represented twice this time.  After picking up the Jack Johnson, the Sweet Shot auto went without saying, and I'll have to pick up any other Wolverines I can find from that set.  The BeeHive autograph is also very cool as it attempts to go for a retro look and feel, something I think it pulled off very well.  

Steve Halko 1999-00 BAP Millennium auto

Halko, a former UM defenseman, actually owns a distinctive NHL record:  "With 155 career NHL games without a goal on 96 shots, Halko has the most games played of anybody who has not scored in their NHL career."  While that's not exactly a positive thing, it's great that he was able to make it to the NHL along with many of his teammates, and surely he'll always remember winning the '96 national championship his senior year.  He also has a really nice signature, no?  By the way, newcomers Halko and Porter bump my hockey unique player count up to 20.  That's milestone #2 for this post!

Steve Shields 2005-06 Be A Player Signatures auto

Lastly, Shields was a pretty successful goalie for Michigan in the early 90s.  He parlayed that success into a nice career in the NHL, albeit mostly as a backup, and played for six different teams, including Buffalo, who drafted him, and the Panthers, as he's pictured here.  I actually have a couple other autographs from the BAP set from that year and I'll look for a few more as it's a great looking set.

Those lucky 13 additions give me the chance to celebrate one more milestone as well:  I now have 53 hockey hits, which means I've finally crossed the 50-hit mark for the sport.  I mentioned in my list of resolutions that I wanted to hit 75 by the end of the year, and that certainly looks feasible.  Maybe I can even add a few new players to this PC while I'm taking aim at that goal.

Now that I'm done with hockey it'll be back to football and baseball the rest of the way, and who knows what I'll put out and scan next for your entertainment?  Until then, GO BLUE!