Early Offseason Acquisitions

Now that the season is over, the ridiculous amount of releases has died down and my wallet is dry, it's become a lot easier to avoid my pack ripping addiction. My desire to handle cards has only grown though. Here are a few of my most recent pickups, the vast majority coming from COMC. I spend way too much time looking at the recent additions listed on COMC but it leads me to finding some great deals now and then from sellers looking to move cards fast. My rule of thumb is never to pay more than 1/3rd of BV (unless I really need the card) and I often pay far less than that. I justify it because if I were to cash out with COMC, they'd rob me of 20% of my sales anyways. Enough of that, here's some cards.

This beaut was pulled by me earlier this week out of a rack pack of 2007 Fleer Ultra. It's the gold parallel #'d to 999. Thing is, these packs all have clear cello backs and where the gold parallels can be seen. How in the hell did no one grab this pack in 2007? The card would have paid multiple times what the pack itself cost. Their loss, my win.

This beast is one Dontari Poe, the anchor of the top-ranked Chiefs defense. A lot of folks questioned him being picked so high in the 2012 draft, but those folks aren't questioning anymore. Remember the name. The Turkey Red card here is #'d to 169 and I paid less than $2 for it.

Purple parallel #'d to 199. Jumped on it because the price was stupid low.

Likely the #4 or #5 starter next season for the Royals. I'm excited to see him get a full season in.

Pedro Martinez = Amazing pitcher and awful analyst

This is one card I overpaid for and regretted, but scouts say he's the next big thing. #'d to 99.

Already my 4th autograph of Ventura. For some reason I love his signature. He should be in the Royals rotation next season, and he's sure to make headlines with his 102-103 MPH fastball.

After a Twitter exchange with Royals legend Willie Wilson, I realized I didn't have his autograph. I picked one up immediately.

A few of the '91 Topps Desert Storm Royals cards popped up for about $.50 a piece, so I guess I'm chasing that now.

This instantly became my favorite relic card. The jersey piece matches the uni that Saberhagen is wearing, which is a must for a good relic card. On top of that, the tiny square is floating in between two acetate "walls" on the card so you can see it on the front and back. Very cool idea that I'd love to see more often.

A super cheap autograph of a decent young Royals prospect.

Any time you can get an autograph of a hall of famer for less than $10, you'd be an idiot not to. I admire Sutton as a person, so this was a no-brainer.

This is a 2012 TTT card. Topps sure got lazy with their 2013 TTT design.

This is my first 1952 Bowman card and I couldn't resist it when it popped up. I love the extreme detail in the painting of Cass Michaels, but even more the stadium in the background with a couple lone fans. Michaels was an All-Star in '49 and '50, but had his career ended far too early. In 1954 while playing for the White Sox, he was hit in the head by a pitch from Marion Fricano of the Philadelphia A's. Cass was in critical condition and given his last rites in the hospital, but somehow managed to survive. His vision was impaired and it ended his career.

This last card came to me from Cardboard Habit as part of a trade that I need to complete. I plan to send out quite a few PWE's this week, so keep your eyes open!