Sets I'm Currently Attempting To Assemble

Here are the sets I'm currently working to put together ('97 UD SPx Duo View Hockey is not shown as I do not have any cards in that set, but I am interested in building it!!!). If anyone has any cards in these sets and is interested in trading, let me know. I have a number of cards in each of these sets. I would like to complete a couple of these by the end of the summer. If you are interested in trading, send me an email to Hoopography@yahoo.com or leave a message on the Hoopography Facebook page. Thanks!

         '98 Metal Universe Titanium                                      '97 Upper Deck SPx Cornerstones

            '98 Ex Century Dunk N' Go N                                '98 Topps Finest Mystery Test Refractor

                          '08 Upper Deck SP Rookie Edition Auto's                                         '97 Fleer Ultra Court Masters

                                   '97 Upper Deck SPx Holoview Heroes                                   '99 SPx Rookie Auto's

                                '96 Jam Session Showstoppers                                       '97 EX 2000 A Cut Above

                                                  '97 & '98 Big Man On Court                   '98 SPx Hardcourt Holoview (Football and Basketball)

                                                              '97 SPx Promotion                                                   '98 SPx ProMotion 

                                                             '98 SPx ProMotion                                                '97 SPx Cornerstones

NY Yankees Pitcher Phil Hughes In The Hoopography House: 2007 Upper Deck Masterpeices RC Auto

2007 Upper Deck Masterpeices
Phil Hughes RC Auto

In my never-ending quest to add some New York Yankees auto's to my collection, I picked up this UD Masterpeices auto of Pinstripe's pitcher Phil Hughes off the Bay a few weeks ago. Hughes has had an up and down career thus far. Injuries last year derailed his development from a back of the rotation starting pitcher to a solid middle of the rotation starting pitcher. I am hopeful and encouraged that the once first-round pick can be a good pitcher in the bigs, if he can only stay healthy this year.

Like many collectors, I have always enjoyed these Upper Deck Masterpeices and Chronology cards. They look great and you've got to love the on-card auto's. This is a nice addition to my PC and will make the Yankees games that much more fun for me. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Crack of the Bat".

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".

What Card Reminds You Of Why You Are In The Hobby?

Gary Sheffield/Dwight Gooden '92 Upper Deck Score Board Dual Auto

We all have cards that remind us of our youth or fund memories. There are also cards that are just plan cool too. I love auto'd cards and this Sheffield/Gooden Dual Auto is no exception. It's not the rarest of auto'd cards out there at 1,992, but it definitely is cool. So no fund memory here… just coolness. I bought the card a couple months ago and it came with the COA from Score Board. I paid around $10.00 for this one, and I am happy with that. However, the prices do vary (click here and here).

Now to the coolness. I'm sure Mr. T himself would be envious of the bling around these guys' necks, and that's part of the fun of this card. I also like how Sheffield is sporting a basketball shirt for a trading card shoot. Again, it's all in the fun of this card. Between the card itself, the auto's and reasonable price, this card reminds me of why I'm in the hobby.

Are there any cards that remind you of why your a collector?

Trade Bait: Bobby Richardson, LeBron James, UD The Cup, And More...

Due to a number of recent player personnel moves in the NBA and NHL, as well as a few recent eBay purchases, I've got a few new cards to trade. You can checkout all the cards I have up for trade and what I'm looking for on my Trade/Want List page. Below are some of the cards I have up for trade. Please feel free to leave a comment, send me a message on Facebook or at Hoopography@yahoo.com. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy the Thrill of the Trade".

Pudge Rodriguez and Mike Piazza In The Hoopography House: '97 Upper Deck SPx Cornerstones

'97 Upper Deck SPx Cornerstones Rodriguez/Piazza

I know it's been about a week or so since my last post. I've been extremely busy with work and family. I actually became an uncle this past weekend which I'm very excited about. With as busy as I've been though, don't think I'm not collecting or staying up to date with the hobby happenings. I just got in a few new items in recently and I'm posting today about what I think is a pretty sweet addition to my late 90's Upper Deck SPx Pro Motion and SPx Force sets. As many of you probably know, I'm currently putting together all of the SPx Pro Motion, Cornerstone, Duo View and Force sets from '97 and '98 for football, baseball, hockey and basketball. It's a tall order, but I'm a huge fan of the die-cut and hologram designs from these sets.

Jeter/Rodriguez

This Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Piazza card is the second card from the '97 baseball Cornerstones set I've been able to add to the collection. The first one I got was the Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez you see to the right. These cards are beautiful. The set name is Cornerstones, but they are basically the same design as the basketball and football Pro Motion sets. I'm not quiet sure why Upper Deck decided to call the baseball and hockey (Duo View) sets by different names. No matter what the name, one thing is for sure. The gold foiling in the backgrounds, die-cut designs and crystal clear holograms make these inserts standout. I paid $5.00 including shipping for the Rodriguez and Piazza. It's not that the baseball Cornerstones cards sell for exorbitant prices, but that was a Rickey Henderson type steal.

I apologize for the lack of posts last week, but I needed some time to focus on a view other things. No worries though. I have a number of new items that I just added to my collection that I'm excited to post about over the next few days. Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Crack Of The Bat".

Which Is More Impressive: Handlebar Mustache or Mullet?

The mullet maybe a little tough to make out on this 1993 Upper Deck SP cards, but Rod Beck definitely had one back in the day. However, I'm going with the handlebar mustache as more impressive. I just think it's pretty cool. Those Reebok cleats aren't too bad either. Gotta like old school. What do you think?

Who Are The Mets Leaders Now?

1989 Topps Mets Leaders

With the Mets ownership in financial trouble, rumors of this being Jose Ryes' last year for the Amazings, and David Wright picking and choosing which seasons he'll hit home runs, who are the leaders of the New York Mets? At one time, it was a couple of drug addicts like Doc Gooden, Keith Hernandez and Darryl Strawberry. Boy… those sure were some great years. If only the Mets could go back in time. I guess this 1989 Topps Mets Leaders card will have to do.

Rickey Being Rickey: '93 Upper Deck SP Ricky Henderson

'93 Upper Deck SP Rickey Henderson

I know I've missed a few posts this week, and I apologize for that. My work schedule changed this week, and I haven't had a chance to post anything since this past Tuesday. I'll get accustomed to my new schedule and get back to at least one post a day. Since I missed a few posts during the week, I'll put several up this weekend. So stay tuned for that.

For now, feast your eyes on this '93 Upper Deck SP Rickey Henderson card. It has little value. Actually, I'm sure it would be considered "junk wax". However, I've never liked that term. Sure, the monetary value isn't there, but this is a card featuring one of the cooler moments in MLB history: Rickey being Rickey while celebrating the all-time MLB steals record in 1991. This card is all about that great moment in baseball history.

I got the card while opening a few packs of '93 Upper Deck SP looking for the highly desired Derek Jeter Foil SP RC. I unfortunately didn't pull the Jeter, but this Henderson card was a pleasant surprise and really fun. And after all, isn't that what card collecting is all about… fun?

Happy collecting and "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Poll: Who Will Make The Baseball Hall Of Fame?

Dave Winfield and Don Mattingly are amongst a few of my favorite Yankees ever and are certainly revered by many other Yankee fans. Although "Donnie Baseball" is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Winfield is, and this card is the only card I have that features a Yankee who is in the Hall. Cards of guys like Ruth, Berra, Mantle, DiMaggio and Gehrig cost a bit more than my price range can handle, so this Mattingly/Winfield jersey card is the best I've got for this post.

Basically, I want to know what current New York Yankees or Yankee prospects you think will eventually be enshrined in the Cooperstown Hall of Fame when their career(s) are over? You can vote for as many players as you want. If there's a player or prospect not included in the poll, feel free to add in the comments section. Thanks for reading and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Some Of My Best Trading Card Acquisitions Of The Last Few Months

Here's a few of my favorite cards from the past few months. I've wrote posts on most of these, but it's always fun to show them off. After all, part of the fun of card collecting is showing your cards off. What are some of your favorite trading card acquisitions of the past few months?

               '08 Bowman Chrome                   '10 UD Ultimate Laettner Auto               '97 Topps Finest Gold Ref

               Montero Blue Ref RC

'03 Kobe/Williams UD Ultimate Dual Jersey

'91 Kenny Anderson Star Pics Auto               '08 Brett Gardner RC Auto         '03 Jay Williams UD Ultimate Auto RC

'00 UD Paul O'neill Buy Back Auto

   '09 UD Exquisite Cunningham Auto            '80 Topps Henderson RC                   '08 Hawaii Trade Conference                                                                                                                                        Miller/Evans Auto

        '02 Topps Bo Jackson Memorable Materials                          '97 UD Exquisite Legendary Lynch Auto

'00 UD Bruce Smith Legendary Jsy    '95 Topps Finest Hardaway Refractor           '97 Jeter Flair Hot Gloves

'08 UD Trilogy 1-2 Combo Vanek/Miller Auto

                                Bernie Williams, Paul O'neill & Andy Pettitte EX Essential Credentials

'97 Metal Universe Precious Gems Bruce Smith

                     '10 Topps 206 Cervelle Auto                         '10 UD The Cup Signature Patches Vanek Auto

'92 Classic Four-Sport Quad Auto (I've had this for a bit, but it one of my favorites)

                '07 UD Ultimate Legends Jim kelly Auto                       '96 Anfernee Hardaway UD Tribute Auto

 '97 Jordan UD SPx Holoview Heroes       '91 Larry Johnson Courtside Auto                 '93 Classics Exclusive                                                                                                                                          Manon Rheaume Auto

          '09 UD Thurman Thomas UD SPx Shadow Box                '08 UD Lynch Exquisite Endorsements Auto

'97 UD Jordan Commemorative Collection     '99 Thomas SkyBox Rubies            '93 TSC Beam Team O'neal RC

              '09 UD Exquisite Thurman Thomas Auto             '97 Ultra Court Masters (I'm putting the set together)  

             '10 Thurman Thomas UD SPx Shadow Box                              '07 Chris Mullin UD Ultimate Virtuoso

'09 UD SP Legendary Cuts Warren Spahn Auto