2013 COMC pickups #9: tipping the Scales with Bobby

A bit more than a month ago I showed off the first chunk of COMC pickups of a new PC player:  Bobby Scales.  Today I'm back with the last eight Scales cards I nabbed from my three packages so far this year:

Bobby Scales 2009 Bowman Sterling RC

Bobby Scales 2009 Bowman Sterling Refractor (#018/199)

Sterling had kind of a cool look four years ago.  I still think the set is overkill what with Topps' many other chrome-ized offerings, but if you take it for what it is, it looks kinda nice.  And for once the "Rookie Card" logo is actually accurate!  I think most of us would agree, though, that the real winner here, is the Refractor.  It was a bit hard to scan but you can still tell the difference.  And of course I like the fact that it's numbered, which sets it apart nicely from the other versions.  Speaking of those, I'll need to pick up the Gold (/50) and Black (/25) Refractors at some point.

Bobby Scales 2009 Topps 206 Mini Old Mill

I showed off four Topps 206 cards last time, including a pair of minis, but I picked up this Old Mill version more recently.  Here's a Wikipedia article that talks a bit about the history of the T206 set (Jefferson Burdick would approve!), including the many brands that produced cards for the set, some of which Topps honored with their own minis.  And while I'm mentioning those, I now need just the Cycle (/99) Mini to complete Bobby's run from that set.

Bobby Scales 2009 Topps Chrome RC

Bobby Scales 2009 Topps Chrome Refractor

2009's Topps set ended up looking pretty in Chrome too (and once again the "Rookie Card" logo is apt).  So far I've only managed to pick up this pair of Scales cards, meaning I still need the X-Fractor, plus the Blue, Gold, and Red Refractors, but when I do that'll make for a nice looking rainbow!

Bobby Scales 2009 Topps Heritage RC

The '09 Heritage set produced some spiffy looking RCs thanks to the throwback to the 1960 Topps design. As with several other cards in this group, the back of this one lauds Scales' perseverance (he finally made his debut at age 31) and notes his "other" job as a substitute teacher.  Now THAT's a Michigan Man!

Bobby Scales 2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom Perforated

This is where we get into overkill territory with Topps.  The ticket stub design looks kind of cool, including this Perforated version, but it's just one of many sets and doesn't do enough to distinguish itself as a product that's actually worth collecting.  By the way, though the scan doesn't do a good job of showing it, this one's perforated on the bottom AND the top.

Bobby Scales 2010 Upper Deck

All but two of Scales' cards hail from 2009; the exceptions are this one, plus its Gold parallel (/99), which I still need to find.  As usual, the base card features a pleasant, colorful photo with a (mostly) borderless design.  The second tiny black-and-white photo on the bottom is replicated on the back, but in color.  The main downside to this card is the back (which I didn't scan), which crams a blurb about the player into an area about 1/5 of the area of the horizontal layout, then leaves a TON of white, dead space due to Bobby's lack of stats.  Oh well, they can't all be perfect.

Those of you counting at home can now credit Bobby with 17 IHAS cards, which is significant since he flies past the 50% mark (out of 31 non-1/1s).  Of the remaining 14, all but one (a relatively rare Heritage Ad Panel) are numbered, but only one is numbered as low as five, so I'm in relatively good shape.  If you happen to have anything new for me, though, please let me know!

I'll be back tomorrow with another surprising and awesome eBay pickup.  In the meantime, don't forget to

Right, Spankee?

A very Wolverines Super Bowl trade post featuring My Cardboard Mistress

As you hopefully saw over on Too Many Verlanders, I received a ridiculously great trade package from Adam of My Cardboard Mistress, including some excellent baseball stuff.  But that's not all he sent--not by a LONG shot.  Besides sending me some trade stuff in return for what I had already sent him, he included my winnings from our friendly Sugar Bowl bet.  Since I need to get this post done in time to be ready for the big game, here's a look at Adam's profound sense of generosity and good sportedness:

Holy crap that's a lot of stuff!  The book, which set Adam back a whole dollar, is one I surprisingly didn't have, though I have read it before.  Bacon teaches here and is one of the best Michigan sportswriters ever.  His controversial Three and Out is the benchmark for inside football writing and may never be equaled due to his unprecedented access.  If you want to learn the truth about the Michigan/RichRod saga instead of listening to the irresponsibly "researched" bullshit hit job that the Detroit Free Press, and subsequently the rest of the mainstream media, pinched off, please check that out.  As for this book, I look forward to reading it again since the combination of Bacon and one of my school's greatest legends ever is irresistible.  An auspicious start, to say the least.
Instead of waiting until the end to show my favorites from this package, I'm going to show them off now so I don't risk losing those of you who are relatively uninterested in the rest.  I knew Adam was sending one of these, but the other was a total surprise, and I'm still surprised and thrilled by these:

These are 1955 Topps All American RCs of Wolverine greats Bennie Oosterbaan and Harry Newman.  Oosterbaan should sound familiar to any Michigan fan, especially ones who've strolled by the athletic campus past his eponymous Field House.  He coached the Maize and Blue to the 1948 national title and was a phenomenal three-sport athlete and coach who earned his way to the College Football HOF.  Though he played a slightly different position, his card back's description makes him sound a little like Braylon Edwards in his prime at Michigan.

Newman is a guy I didn't really know as well, but as the back of his card states, he QBed Michigan to three (Big Ten) titles, and Wikipedia reveals that he lost just once, going 24-1-2 in his three years.  The back also makes him sound like he went all Denard in his final three games.  He also went on to play for the Giants and threw the NFL championship game's first TD pass, which is pretty cool, though I hope it's a Patriots Wolverine who comes out on top in today's Super Bowl!

I have to say I absolutely love these cards.  The Oosterbaan was actually Adam's idea, and I quickly agreed to it as the loot from our bet, so it was out of his generosity that I also now have the Newman.  He pointed out that these are the cheapest of the handful of Wolverines in the set, but that doesn't matter since it's spurred me to try to pick them up in the future.  I've also created a Michigan RCs album, to which I'll be adding soon with a future post.  I absolutely love the look (and age) of these classic cards, and literally my only gripe is that atrocious "wolverine" logo on the front.  YEESH!
And now, the rest of my Wolverines haul:

The one Michigan baseball card in the package, a Drew Henson Just Promo from 2001, a very cool add to my baseball PC.

Three of my favorites:  a #d Leon Hall RC, a rare (for my collection) Leroy Hoard card from Collector's Edge, and a similarly rare Ernest Shazor RC.

Some very nice Braylon Edwardses, and not even every single one he sent me.

A winner from last year's title game, Charles Woodson, including a very interesting Playoff Contenders leather card.

A former Giant who's therefore not in tonight's game, Amani "IT'S NOT A" Toomer.  My favorite is the Topps All American, a card in the style of the two above.

Another former Giant, Michigan RB legend Tyrone Wheatley.  The Playoff card is actually very nice, with an almost metallic look to it, but the real winner here is the Fractal Matrix card.

And finally, my hopeful Super Bowl winner for tonight, Tom Brady.  I love the XFractor from 2009.

So there you have it, one of the best trade packages I've ever received.  Thanks again, Adam, for some great stuff, especially the book and the '55s!

Good luck to both teams in tonight's Super Bowl, and may the best team win, but either way, Michigan fans will be rewarded with yet another pair of rings.  GO BLUE!