The Big Guy In The Middle: Marcell Dareus Ref Auto RC

2011 Bowman Chrome Auto/ Ref RC

I really don't know much about this card other than it features Marcell Dareus, who is a key cog in my Buffalo Bills' revamped defensive line, and that I love the look of the auto/ref. as with most refractors, the card looks better in hand. It almost looks like Mr. Dareus takes up the entire surface of the card. At 6'3'', 325 pounds, he is one big boy. I just became a Bills season ticket holder about two months ago in the Paul Maguire Club, so I can't wait to watch Mr. Dareus gobble up some quarterbacks next season.

Shawn Kemp In The House: '94 UDA BlowUp Auto

Basketball fans can’t talk 90’s NBA basketball without mentioning the “Reign Man”. Shawn Kemp was a devastating 6 foot 10 inch athlete who could catch an ally-oop from fellow running mate Gary “The Glove” Payton better than anyone in the Association. In addition to his athleticism, Kemp also had the skill-set to work down low in the post. He averaged 14.6 points/game and 10.9 rebounds/game with a .488 field goal percentage during his NBA career. Those numbers are a bit skewed because of a few seasons when his averages dipped for a number of reasons including weight issues. It was reported that Kemp showed up to Cavaliers’ training camp weighing a hefty 275 lbs. during the ’99 lockout shortened NBA season. 275 lbs. might be generous.

I like to remember the Shawn Kemp that many referred to as “Man Child”. This was the player that no team had an defensive answer for during the mid 90’s. The player in this sweet 8 x 10 Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) Team MVP Blowup Auto'd card. For all of Kemp’s natural abilities though, it would have been fun to watch how much better he would have been if he had only put more time into the game and himself. As it is, I'm still a fan and enjoy watching old clips of Kemp Reignin’ down on Seattle.

 As far as the newest edition to my collection goes, this UDA piece is easily the biggest card I own. It's pretty impressive in the lucite screw down case. I'm a huge fan of anything UDA and this auto's card with matching COA's is really great. Especially since I paid well under $25.00 for it. It will goes nice with the Kemp RC's that I have.

The ’91 Fleer RC features a great action shot of Kemp doing what he did best, dunking. This is my favorite Kemp RC out of the three. Just checkout that awesome blue and red trim around the photo of Kemp. Coupled with the yellow surrounding Kemp's name, this card is so bad it's actually cool. The card has a book value of only $1.50 due to the over abundance of the card. In fact, that is the case for all three of these cards. Trading card manufactures mass produced their sets and thus killed the value of their own products during the late 80’s and early 90’s.

The ’91 NBAHOOPS RC has a fairly simple design. I can’t say it’s the best looking card ever made, but it’s a nice buy at around $1 on the secondary markets. Again, the card only has a book value of $1.50 like the ’91 Fleer RC.

The final Kemp RC is a ’91 SkyBox card. The ’91 SkyBox set is one of my all-time favorite sets. I actually like both the ’91 and ’92 SkyBox sets. They have some really funky early 90’s graphics and designs. The Kemp RC from the ’91 set has some of those funky graphics and is a good looking card. Nothing like some randomly colored lines going through the background of a card. Kinda like the always cool laser background used in 90’s school photos (you know the ones I'm talking about). This Kemp RC has a book value of $2.50, but typically sells for right around $.50 to $2.00.

 

So What Do I Do With This Now?: '08 Bowman Chrome Jesus Montero Blue Refractor RC

2008 Bowman Chrome Jesus Montero RC Blue Refractor #'d /99

As an avid sports memorabilia collector and Yankees fan, I decided a few years back to start collecting a Yankees prospect. I wasn't sure who that prospect would be, so I did a bit of research. I talked to other collectors, I read all the MLB prospect ratings and decided on Jesus Montero. Yeah, I know… big surprise there. In truth, I wanted to collect Austin Jackson, but the Yanks traded him just before I could pick up any of his cards. That was a lucky break for me I guess, since we all know it's no fun collecting a guy for your favorite team who ends up getting traded the next year.

So you can imagine my dismay when I heard about Montero being traded a couple months back. I do think my pinstripes made the right baseball decision, but the front office brass obviously weren't keeping my trading card collection in mind when they made the trade.

So basically, I have a card that looks great. I love the blue refractors, but I'm not sure I'm going to hold on to the RC. The whole idea of buying this card for me was to follow Montero as he came up through the minors and contributed to the big club. I know Montero is still one of the hottest young bats in baseball and he could become a big star, but you may see this one in my Trade Bait Album sometime soon.

Happy Collecting and… "Enjoy The Smell of that Spring Training Grass". Actually, scratch that. Have you ever seen a baseball field after professional baseball players are through with it? Those folds are disgusting. Guys are spitting who know what every five seconds. Grounds keepers are throwing manure and pesticides everywhere. With all the half eaten sunflower seeds on the ground, you would think they were getting ready to produce sunflower oil. It's a mess out there. How about this…, "Enjoy Every Crack of the Bat".

Panini National Treasures In The Hoopography House: Marcus Easley RC Auto

2010 Panini National Treasures Marcus Easley Patch/Auto #'d 15/25

Have you ever bought a trading card just because of a cool design, auto or patch? Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see what second year receiver Marcus Easley can bring to Ralph Wilson Stadium next year for the Buffalo Bills. However, I really bought this card because I've always wanted one of these rookie jersey/auto'd cards from Panini's National Treasures line. I've been trying for some time now to buy either a hoops or football RC auto as I really like the design. Unfortunately, they tend to sell for a pretty penny.

So instead of a Blake Griffin or C.J. Spiller one, I picked up this Marcus Easley for just under $10.00 including shipping. Under $10.00 seems to be my wheelhouse. Easley was injured during his rookie season last year, but I'm hopeful that he can be a solid contributor for the Bills this year. The card is numbered 15 out of 25 and features a sweet patch/auto. I'm pretty excited for my first National Treasures RC auto.

So the question remains, have you ever bought a trading card solely for a cool design, auto or jersey patch? Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Box Review: 2010-11 Panini's Donruss Basketball

Harkening back to one of the best card designs of the 80's, the Rated Rookie is back. Panini's Donruss Basketball product went live Wednesday, and with the number of cards already appearing on the secondary markets, it looks like collectors are busting quite a few boxes. And thanks to Panini, this blogger was able to checkout a box of the newest product in the basketball trading card industry first hand. So enough with the post introduction. Here's a snapshot of Donruss Basketball and a brief review.

2010-11 Panini Donruss Basketball Snapshot

- Box Breakdown:

• Release Date: January 5th, 2011
• Hobby Box Cost: $65.95
• 27 Rated Rookie Cards
• 21 Team Photo Checklist Cards
• 8 Serial #'d
• 14 Die Cut Cards
• 2 Jersey Cards
• 1 Autographed Card

- Card/Product Design: Overall card/product design should be the most important part of any product and Panini didn't disappoint with Donruss Basketball. The design team at Panini reached back into the card design vault for an iconic design with the Rated Rookies. Because of that, the RC's in Donruss are particularly sought after and really make this a fun product. However, the Rated Rookies aren't the only thing Panini got right with the design of Donruss. The foil "d" logo on the bottom right of each card for "Donruss" is a nice touch. The photography is excellent with a myriad of basketball actions featured. I also like the die cuts which add another little detail to the product. It's those little details that really make for an excellent design.

Nicolas Batum Base (Back)

The backs of the cards are basic, but do provide the necessary info and stats a nerd like me checks out. I also really like the little player trivia on the backs of each card. Not the best looking card back ever, but certainly more than adequate.

Finally, the only issues I have with the design of Donruss has to do with the lack of team colors on the base cards and sticker auto's. I know this is a nit picky issue, but it would make a big difference to many collectors who put base sets together. The sticker auto thing is simply an issue that every collector has and it doesn't look like it'll be going away anytime soon. The auto'd card I pulled doesn't really look bad with the sticker auto, but I obviously would have liked to have pulled an on-card auto. Otherwise, the inserts are solid (particularly the very cool Duos cards), the die cuts give an added element and the Rated Rookies brings a nostalgic feeling back to trading cards. Grade: B-


- Photography: Photography is such an important element of trading cards that it really needs it's own category. I'm generally impressed with the quality of photography in most of Panini's products, and that stands true with Donruss. There are tons of different stances and action shots. The team checklist cards are diverse and feature on court as well as traditional team photos. There are cards with just a single player featured, and also ones with multiple defenders in the background. Thanks to great photography, no card looks alike. Grade: A


- Fun Factor: How much fun a box of cards is to open is really one of those subjective categories. I've opened many boxes and packs over the years and always enjoy the process. This is the third box of cards I've been able to open of Panini product in the past year, and I can say that this was the most fun. The bottom line is there is so much going on from die cuts and hits, to the Rated Rookies and Press Proofs. I felt like there was something noteworthy from all 24 packs. That spells fun to me. Grade: A-

John Wall Rated Rookie

- Value: The first few auctions are just now starting to conclude on eBay. I did a quick check of the completed auctions thus far and it looks like the product is doing very well in some areas, but struggling in others. That's to be expected in the hobby. As for this box, the value is there. The Rated Rookie cards are selling very well, particularly since you get so many per box. That means collectors want 'em. I know the John Wall base RC is selling for right around $4.00 - $8.00. Many of the other RC's are selling for $2.00-$6.00. Those are pretty solid numbers considering there are so many RC's in a box that costs around $65.00.

The true worth of the box won't be known until I see what the hits are selling for on eBay. The big card I pulled from the box is a DeMarcus Cousins Rated Rookie #'d 285/299. There are no completed auctions yet, but there are two BIN auctions currently on eBay. One for $50.00 and another for $125.00. I think the $125.00 number is pretty high since that's what the John Wall RC Auto is selling for.

Considering the price of John Wall cards and other RC's, the value is there at $65/box. Especially if you factor in trade values for the base and insert cards. Grade: B+ (Note: Value grade could go up depending on the results of completed auctions for the DeMarcus Cousins RC Auto)


- Hits: Anytime a highly sought after auto is pulled of a rookie, you know you've got a good box. That's the case here. The DeMarcus Cousins auto is really a very nice hit. As previously mentioned in the Card Design category, the sticker auto isn't as nice as an on-card, but it's still an exciting pull. The Production Line jersey cards also look great. One of my biggest issues with Panini is jersey/swatch placement. Cutting off a players torso or legs to fit a piece of jersey makes for an ugly card. As you can see from the image below, Panini did a great job in placing the jersey and featured players on these cards. They also used the team colors on these cards which really do make a difference. I pulled three hits of three NBA stars. Aside from the sticker auto issue and maybe a plain white jersey swatch on the Gasol card, you can't ask for much more. Grade: B


- Overall: For most collectors, this hobby is all about fun. With that said, Panini delivered with Donruss Basketball. I'm no teacher, but I am a former college prof and can add these scores up. Grade: B+

            Pau Gasol Production Line Jersey             DeMarcus Cousins Rated Rookie Auto            Tyreke Evans Production Line Jersey

Is This The Best Looking Baseball Card Ever?

Ok, so I think the question posed in the post title is really impossible to answer with any definitely. Essentially, card collecting is a very subjective hobby, but every now and then a card comes along that combines great design, color, photography and a HOF player. This is the case with the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson RC.

Not only was Henderson likely the best lead off man in MLB history, but the '80 Topps card features a classic 70's/80's card design and iconic batting stance. The Oakland A's green and yellow team colors also brings the whole card together. This is a must have for any baseball card collector, and I was glad to add the Henderson RC to my collection a few months ago.

To some, the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson RC is the best looking baseball card in the hobby, to others it's not, but there's no question that it's certainly worth noting. What do you think? Is this the best looking baseball card ever, or at least in the conversation?

Rookie Cards For $10 Bucks or Less: '84 Star Company Ralph Sampson RC

Rookie cards are a huge part of the hobby that we love. Collectors chase down the first trading card of a player for a couple of reasons. There certainly are those who "collect" RC's as if they were stocks or commodities. Just look at the recent example of Stephen Strasburg's RC's. There also are those collectors who add a RC to their collection not because of the anticipated value, but rather for the thrill of owning a card of an athlete who they admired as a kid or even today. Maybe the RC of a player also reminds them of a particular time in their life or of a favorite team. If you are later of those types of collectors, than this Rookie Cards for $10 Bucks or Less series is for you.

This Rookie Cards for $10 Bucks or Less post features the 1984 Star Company RC of arguably one of the best collegiate basketball players of all-time, Ralph Sampson. Sampson was the #1 pick of the '83 NBA Draft out of the University of Virginia. As a collegiate player, there are few who can measure up to the career of the 7'-4'' Sampson. He was a three-time Naismith Collegiate Player of the Year award winner and two-time Wooden Award winner. He was also named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Team in 2002.

After receiving that kind of hardware, it's no wonder Sampson was highly touted coming into the NBA during the '84 season. Many felt Sampson was going to dominate the NBA as he did the ACC, and he did for about a three and a half season span. Sampson and the then Akeem Olajuwan formed the devastating "Twin Towers" for the Rockets during the '85 season after Houston won the rights to the first pick overall for a second year in a row. The talented tandem formed an intimidating two-headed monster and eventually led the Rockets to a birth in the '86 NBA Finals against the vaunted Boston Celtics. The Rockets did go on to lose that series, but cemented themselves as a formidable team to dethrone the Lakers'-Celtics' dominance of the 80's with a core of young and up incoming superstars in Sampson and Olajuwan. Unfortunately, three knee surgeries derailed the promise and talent Sampson showed during his first three and a half seasons in the Association.

Sampson played for a number of NBA teams during the remainder of his career and was eventually waived during the '91-'92 NBA season by the then Washington Bullets. He finished his NBA career as the '84 NBA Rookie of the Year, '85 All-Star MVP, '85 All-NBA Second Team, Four-time NBA All-Star ('84-'87) and a whole lot of unfulfilled promise.

His '84 Star Company RC is a steal today with a book value of only $8.00. Many collectors and hoops fans forget just how dominate of an athlete Sampson truly was. His RC often sells for right around $.99 -$5.00. Here's a recently completed eBay Buy Now auction (click here). I really like the Star Company cards of the mid-80's. There obviously are a ton of noteworthy players in those sets like Jordan, Worthy, Jabbar, Thomas, Drexler, Wilkins, Ewing, Magic and Bird, but it's the simply design, photography and use of vibrant color that make these cards standout. Just look at the bright orange an red colors used on the Sampson RC. So if you're looking to add a solid RC to your collection at a modest expense, checkout the '84 Star Co. Ralph Sampson Rookie Card for $10 Bucks or Less and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

NY Yankee Prospecting

Ok, so it's a little bit of a stretch to call this post "Yankee Prospecting". It seems like every MLB fan and Yankees collector knows who Jesus Montero is. Sure, he's no Steven Strasburg or Jayson Heyward, but Montero is one of the most highly tauted prospects in the minors today. I've seen Montero as high as 5th on some of the top 100 MLB prospect charts, and as low as 11th. He was signed as a catcher, but most scouts see Montero as a DH or first baseman. It should be interesting to see what the Yankees do with Montero as they are pretty well set at first base with Mark Teixeira, and Fransico Cervelli backing up starting catcher Jorge Posada. I hope Montero remains in the Yankees organization long enough to don the pinstripes, but his name comes up on every potential trade the Yankees are involved in.

The card is a 2008 Topps Bowman Chrome RC Blue Refractor #'d 87/99. I really like the look of that light blue around the border of the card. The Bowman cards are some of the best RC's in the hobby today. I'd love to bust a box of Bowman Chrome wax open from any year as I'm sure many collectors would. I think they feature a pretty simple and card clean design that just seems to work. I have a few cards of top Yankee prospects, but this Montero is certainly my favorite.