2015 trade package #6: a Wolverine deluge(i) from Fuji

A couple weeks ago Mark from the Chronicles of Fuji sent me a ridiculously generous trade package.  I'm talking flat rate box generous.  A huge chunk of that box was filled with great Tigers stuff which I posted on TMV, but Fuji balanced things out nicely with some top notch Michigan stuff as well!  Check it out:

Barry Larkin 1998 Leaf Rookies and Stars

My 251st Larkin is this base card from Leaf's inaugural Rookies & Stars set, and that's a product that still exists today under the Panini umbrella.  It has a nice shot of the HOFer at the plate.

<Ron Swanson voice>  End baseball section </Ron Swanson voice>

And now for some basketball:

Kicking off the surprisingly large basketball haul is this Glenn Robinson 2001-02 Fleer Authentix jersey, a fun relic (literally!) of the bygone era that resulted in some fun designs from manufacturers such as Fleer.  I actually kidded around in my recent Sports Cards From the Dollar Store trade post about starting a "Michigan relatives" PC after Doug sent me cards of a couple Wolverines' sons, and now I have a hit of a father to go with those in the form of Purdue and NBA star Glenn (Jr.).

Louis Bullock 1999 Press Pass Authentics Autographs auto

Bullock was one of Michigan's better basketballers of his era, one that proved to be a difficult one for fans because of Bullock and others being involved in the Ed Martin booster scandal.  Though Milwaukee drafted him in 1999 and then flipped him to Orlando, he never appeared in the NBA, but he did carve out a decent European career.  He's one of two new players heading to my basketball collection courtesy of Fuji.

Jamal Crawford 2006-07 Upper Deck UD Game Jersey jersey

Crawford isn't exactly a stranger to this blog as this is his third hit I've shown here (all relics), a nice blue Knicks swatch.  I'm happy that he's been able to last this long in the league, and he's currently with the Clippers, though right now apparently he's hurt.

Juwan Howard 1994 Signature Rookies Tetrad Autographs auto (#2257/7750)

The well-known Howard also reaches three hits thanks to this Signature Rookies card, my first autograph of one of the famous Fab 5 Wolverines.  Jesus, I can't believe these guys had to sign that many cards!

Ray Jackson 1995 Signature Rookies Draft Day Signatures auto (#4949/7750)

Did somebody say "Fab 5"?!  Uh, yeah, I just did.  The other collection newcomer today is Jackson, who was one of just two in that group (Jimmy King) to stay for all four years of his college career, plus he wasn't involved in the Martin scandal.  This is a great shot of him throwing one up, and I like that he added his jersey number to the signature, especially considering he also had to sign an insane 7750 of these.

Robert Traylor 1998 SP Top Prospects Vital Signs auto

This is my second autograph of big man Robert Traylor, another Martin scandal player who was later drafted in the first round by Dallas in '98 and then flipped to Milwaukee in a deal that included some German dude named Nowitzki.  He sadly passed away about four years ago.

The rest of this post focuses on my favorite Michigan sport, football:

 

Tom Brady 2008 Donruss Gridiron Gear Playbook Gold (#205/500)

A serial-numbered insert of 2014-15 NFL champion Tom Brady for my football inserts collection?  Don't mind if I do!

Mike Hart 2008 Press Pass Autographs Bronze auto

A new Mike Hart auto and it's a Michigan uniform card?  Awesome!  I have a Hart from a different Press Pass set from the same year but I really prefer this one with its horizontal layout, great design (including the photo), and Mike's excellent signature with his jersey number.  This is Hart #57.

The other Hart in the package comes from 2009 Topps' Career Best auto set.  I think the last time I flipped through Fuji's trade bait he had something like three of these, so I wasn't shocked to see it in this package.  The back, by the way, lists his bests during his Michigan days, which is a nice touch.

Sticking with 2008 and going back to the Michigan uni theme is this 2008 Topps Rookie Progression auto of LT stalwart Jake Long (who hopefully won't be forced to retire from the NFL after multiple injuries).  I have a feeling a certain Michigan fan to my southwest will appreciate finding this in his mailbox along with...

...this beautiful 2002 Finest auto/RC of former star WR Marquise Walker.  It also features a Wolverines game photo, Walker's excellent signature (with jersey number), and serial numbering to 1200.

Marquise Walker 2002 Playoff Prime Signatures Autographs auto (#20/95)

However, this Walker auto, which was signed on my favorite type of Panini sticker (what?  The holofoil looks awesome!) is mine all mine.  It's my 21st different card of the former Buc and the sixth card of him that includes an autograph.

Mark, I was absolutely blown away by the quantity and quality of what you sent this time and I promise to get you back before much longer!

Y'all should look out for more trade posts, some of which may also be two-parters, soon!

Cheap Ebay Pick-ups, U of M Style

Hello all, Jeff here with a couple more Ebay Pick-ups.  If your following my other blog (My Sports Obsession) then you’ll be getting to see a bunch of these.  But because EVERYBODY loves Michigan, they are a lot harder to come by cheap.  But I did get a few.  We’ll start off with a Fab Five member just because Michigan won the Big Ten Conference this year.  And our celebration for making the NCAA tourney as well.

• Jalen Rose - 1995 Ted Williams What’s Up rookie ($.54)

This isn’t a bad scan, that’s really what the card looks like it.  It has a really funky texture to it.  I’m not sure how to describe it.  But it’s of Jalen Rose.  The Fab Five were one of the reasons I came to love Michigan.

• Greg Mathews – 2010 Sage HIT Autograph ($2.50/shipped)

I do pay up to $3 for autos of players I remember watching so I went ahead and paid $2.50 for this card.  Greg Mathews, Michigan uniform, autographed, and my lucky #13, really, how could I go wrong?

But the main reason for this post is to show off my son’s pinewood derby car.  He went over to grandpa’s house to make this because I don’t know Jack about tools so I had nothing with the design.  My mother suggested the hood but everything else was all him.  What do you think it is?  Batman!  Spiderman!  Legos!  Nope, this is what he came up with.

Not sure why the left picture turned all blue, but the right picture shows its colors.  He races on Saturday so I’ll let you all know how he does.

To go along with all the great pick-ups that Dennis is posting, I’ll have some that he sent me, I have to scan them so it may not happen till this weekend.  Plus I’ll be watching Michigan playing in the tourney Friday night so I’ll get to it when I can but they are some awesome cards that make my collection all the more cooler.  The wait will definitely be worth it, you’ll see.

BE TRUE TO THE MAIZE AND BLUE!!!

Check out my blowout: day 1: basketball

It's time for another marathon of posts thanks to my second big COMC purchase of the year.  A good chunk of the cards went to Jeff, and I know he'll be dying to show off the Michigan stuff here before long, but I'm kicking things off today with basketball in honor of Michigan's shared Big Ten title and excellent overall season.

Bernard Robinson 2004-05 Upper Deck Black Diamond GemoGRAPHy auto:

Thanks to Jeff, this is my second Robinson auto.  I managed to pick up one for him with Bernard in a Michigan uni, but I decided to keep this one for myself so I had a couple of the guy.  He's now tied with two other players for the lead in my basketball PC. AT TWO. 

Juwan Howard 2007-08 Upper Deck Game Jersey jersey:

Here's one of today's two new PC members, and he happens to be one of the Fab Five.  Remembering that team now that it's March Madness time is sort of bittersweet for those of us who are Michigan fans, but there's no denying this group was insanely talented and fun to watch.

Robert Traylor 2005-06 Upper Deck Hardcourt Signatures auto:

Traylor tragically passed away of a heart attack last May.  I guess as big a dude as he was (he wasn't nicknamed "Tractor" for nothin'), it wasn't a huge surprise, but that didn't make it any less devastating for Michigan fans.
This is a fairly nice card despite its simplicity and sticker auto, and I like that Traylor is sort of wearing some Wolverines-like maize, even if he's playing for an Ohio team.

That's all the basketball I picked up, but don't worry--there's PLENTY more from the other three major sports, especially football, of course.  I'm going to go a different route and actually spread these out a bit so my posts don't get too long and unreadable (plus labor-intensive for me) and so I have more to continue posting on in the next couple weeks.  Stay tuned for those posts, and definitely for Jeff's pickups as well, plus more thoughts on Michigan's hockey and basketball playoff runs.  LET'S GO BLUE!

What’s this post for?

I've always been into Michigan football, for as long as I can remember.  But for most of my life, I followed their box score more than anything.  It's probably only been the last 6 or 7 years that I've gotten really into them and started watching all their games.  Of course, nowadays it's a lot easier to find the games on TV with the Big Ten network.  I've also started to make the trek up north to Ann Arbor at least once a year for a game.  This year, I made it to 3 games plus the fan appreciation day.  That'll be a rarity because 2 of those games weren't on my dime.  Now with the background out of the way, to what this post is all about.
When I first got into Michigan, I was actually watching the Fab 5.  I watched a lot more basketball back then and even though I followed Michigan before the fab 5, it was that team that got me to actually watching games.  Now I find myself watching basketball again.  With the maturing of this team, I've been watching their games when I can. They aren't as regularly available as the football, but you can watch more than you used to. They have been fun to watch this year.. 
With freshman Trey Burke taking over Darius Morris’ spot from last year, it was debated on how good we were going to be with a freshman point guard.  But Burke has been exceptional and I actually like the team better behind him.  Even with Tim Hardaway Jr. struggling, this team has been good.  A 13-3 (3-1 Big Ten) record is only good enough for 3rd place right now in the stacked Big Ten Conference but a #13 rank in the nation.  But better than that, this team is fun to watch.  They play with heart and those are the teams that you love to root for.  I’m enjoying watching basketball again.  And that hasn’t happened in a very long time.
Does this post have anything to do with cards?  Well, yes, sort of.  What I’m realizing as I’m getting back into Michigan basketball, is that I don’t have very many Michigan basketball autographs.  And I have hardly anything that’s recent.  I’ve picked up a couple here and there, but being as I just don’t buy basketball cards, I only have 2.
                                               
These are the only 2 I have.  A Robert “Tractor” Traylor auto who was a dominant big man.  He was still playing basketball in Puerto Rico this past spring when he passed away of a heart attack.  Also, a Ray Jackson auto who was a part of the Fab 5.

What this post is really about, is that I need to get into the other sports of Michigan.  I do need some good basketball autos, but I also need some good baseball autos.  Part of the problem I have, is my collection is only Michigan uniforms.  And they don’t print a whole lot of other sports in Michigan uniforms.  Or at least sets that feature autos.  I’ll have to look to see if they really even do.  Until I started trading with Dennis, I didn’t realize who all had even played for us.  Be sure to check out his collection of autos of former Wolverines.  Link’s on the right side of this page.  It’s a very impressive collection.
I’m going to have to go on the hunt for some baseball autos in Michigan uniforms, if there are any.  I wonder if this guy has an auto I’d like.  Now that would be a great auto.
Congrats to Barry Larkin for being voted into the Hall of Fame.  Most definitely deserves it.  I know most Wolverine fans are ecstatic about this.  Probably some Reds fans as well.  Probably.
So we look forward to his induction on July 22nd.

So I guess this post is basically to announce I need to do a lot better on my Wolverines collections.  Especially the autos (and relics.)

I wonder what other Michigan sports I could find autos for.  Hmmm!

Oh yeah!  That would be pretty sweet!