This or That???

I have a conundrum.

I have a couple hundered bucks sitting in my paypal account and i am not sure what to do.

I can keep adding to it and try and push up to buy a nice low grade 1967 Tom Seaver rookie

Like this

OR

I could grab a handful of mid-high grade cards of a few ’70s-’80s non baseball legends like these

and

and

Thoughts?

-K-

My take on group breaks, or, whats wrong with the hobby…

I don’t like group breaks.

I have only been in one and that was enough.

I also don’t think they are good for the hobby. They push the high end higher. Doing so widens the gap between the average collector and the rich people that can gamble hundreds or thousands on a ultra high end break. It’s like a microcosm of the US, the 1% and the 99%

Not to sound like a old timer but there was a time when anyone could buy the same 50 cent pack of Topps and have the same shot at the big rookie card. Now most of us can just look on as people with cash to burn pay hundreds and thousands on boxes to try and hit the big patch auto numbered to 49 or whatever.

I can honestly say I took more enjoyments pulling a 1987 Bo Jackson rookie from a wax pack back in 1989 then I do pulling a low numbered parch auto of a top draft pick today.

I just wish the hobby would pull back from ultra high end. I don’t mean back to just regular releases like we had in the late ’80s, but enough with $3,500 boxes with 8 cards. It only pushes the top and leaves the rest of us looking up. Even breaks are just a way for average collectors to try and taste the ultra high end, and most seem to walk away less than satisfied.

-K-

The King!

I finally have it.

One of the all time great cards, easily one of the top 5 Topps cards of all time…

A 1968 Nolan Ryan rookie card!

This is a Monster of a card.

Back in the day, the early ’90s, this cards was the object of desire for any collector.

I paid just over two bills for it. Less than the price of a modern higher end box of cards.

Next on the list is a 1967 Tom Seaver…

-K-

HOF 2014…

This afternoon I tried to make my wife and kids watch the baseball HOF induction ceremony. After Bobby Cox’s speech they got tired of my trying to name all the HOFers seated behind the inductees and went to Chipotle. I DVRed the ceremony and just watched it a few minutes ago.

A few thoughts.

I like how a few of Bobby Cox’s stories went no where and Glavine and Maddux just looked at him with no reaction. From their reaction to his speech your would think they don’t like each other.

Greg Maddux seemed like he didn’t want to be there. Torre even mentioned it in his loooooong speech and re-cap of every Yankees World Series and Maddux just stared at him.

Carlton Fisk was looking off to the side the entire time, I am not sure if he was mad about something or maybe there was a TV monitor just off stage but he was very distracted.

I think Bruce Sutter fell asleep.

Tom Seaver is looking good, he has a few years on guys like Sutter and Nolan Ryan but looks much younger.

Frank Thomas is giant.

The big hurt was one of the biggest names of my teen years and one of the biggest names on cardboard in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

His ’90 Leaf card was MASSIVE, bigger than even the iconic ’89 Griffey for a time.

His speech was easily the most emotional, it was Mike Schmidt levels of emotion.

I am still holding out hope that Hrbek gets in as a veterans selection.

-K-

I’m BACK!!!

I have returned after a lengthy absence.

I have a good excuse, well excuses…

I just finished up my first year in my new job at the illustrious Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU if you’re nasty.

It proved to be a great decision to come to VCU and Richmond, but as with any new endeavor it took a lot of my time and attention. It still does but I have settled in enough to find some blog time.

I also had a new baby in November, another heavy transition. She is big enough now that my wife and I can catch a breath and actually spend a few moments on hobbies.

My time away from the blog and hobby has given me time to reflect and round out some opinions on the state of trading cards that I will be sharing with ya’ll.

I am sure readership is down close to zero so if you do read this and have any way to get the word out please let people now the Mojo Beard is back in business!

-K-