Hobby in a half-shell...

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who has brought me 1000+ page views!
I'm grateful for y'all taking the time to stop by.

Now, on to my first completed twitter trade!

My twitter account had lain dormant for years, until I got back into it mainly to keep up with sports stuff.
Very soon thereafter, I started following hobby related accounts.
I'm not sure who followed who (first) but I met a fellow Cardinals fan from across the pond; Andy, author of The Wax Fantastic.(He's also an Orioles fan, but I'm alright with that)
Andy does a great job of keeping up with product reviews, and if you're not following his blog...
Well, I highly recommend it.

I sent some Cardinals his way (you can read the story here), he reciprocated with some cards of another variety:

 

I know you can't tell it from the scans, but all these cards are foil!

This 100-card set has foil parallels, and thanks to Andy; I'm only 9 cards away from completing that set!

(If you have some of these, and want to know which ones I need; check the "Wants" page in the top bar.)

When I was in college I got 100 booster packs for $25, and I've been working on trying to piece the set together ever since. 

Via some forums, I made trades with other collectors in Spain and New Zealand! 

Now I've added the UK to that list, my international stardom is growing! (Thanks Andy!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Staying unabashed and interested, 

-Ruffin

PS- For a record of hits I already have, there is a link on the right-hand side of the blog!

Turtle Power!

Hey. You. Wanna win stuff? I think you do...

So, I'm sure most of you have heard about these Fairfield Caches that can be found around the retail world.

Well, our friend Fuji is offering you a chance to win one that is geared to the team(s) you collect!

How great is that?

I tell ya, it's SUPER great!

All you have to do is head over to his BLOG (that's a link), and follow the instructions to enter!

Have I mentioned that I really like that he's doing monthly contests this time around?
Because I am.

Thanks for stopping by!
Staying unabashed and interested,
-Ruffin

Another trade completed...

Here's another trade recap, this time from Madding over at Cards on Cards!

I sent some 2013 emerald parallels of our favorite team his way, and in appreciation he sent the cards in the picture above.
There were three different packs in the mailer, and a whole flock of Cardinals cards to add to the PC.
Here are some of my favorites...

 I like the "picture-in-picture-in-picture" of Perez. How'd they do it?

I'm always a fan of the dark-blue BP jerseys. I miss them. 

Is that a pitcher at bat? He's bunting? Sounds like a new section in the binder to me!

The "Runnin' Redbirds" card has been featured on Madding's blog. I've wanted it ever since I first saw it, and now I have a copy! HAHAHA!

Oh, and I really like the Busch Stadium card, I wish they'd do those more often. 

(Though with Topps' tendency to re-use pictures, we know how that'd turn out.)

 Another pitcher laying down the bunt?! Oh, the PC lords doth smile on this day!

Psychedelic McGwires will always be welcome in my collection!

This is my first (full-sized) LaRussa card. Looks like the start of a "manger" section of the binder!

The scratch-off reminds me of similar cards I'd find in my elementary school lunches.

Can't complain about die-cuts! Still, it makes me sad we won't see Crown Royale baseball for a while.

Pagnozzi was the catcher I remember most from my younger days, and this card is pretty neat. I gives some Busch II facts, and even recommends the best seat in the house!

A nice team picture to rounds out this presentation, I prefer the modern "action" team shots.

Especially since I think they could've cropped in on this one a little more...

This was a much-appreciated haul, and it'll keep me busy sorting for quite a while!

Thanks for stopping by!

Staying unabashed and interested, 

-Ruffin

Bring on (my) weekend!

I've mentioned my work rotation before (6 on, 2 off), and as it falls today is my Friday.
Thursdays is our dreaded meeting day, and today the meeting was about 10 minutes away from my LCS!
Naturally, I had to stop by...

I picked up a pack of Prizm, and managed to get a few cards for the PCs:

 

I'm not really sure if that's a Rangers picture of Clark, looks like MSU to me.

*Also, the catchers look a little better in this set due to less Photoshop use.  

I was informed that there was still an auto remaining in the box I pulled from, but I decided not to take the plunge.

I also picked up some numbered cards out of the shop's eBay store:

These are numbered out of 35, 25, and 25 respectively. 

I think these cards are neat, and I really like the Musial picture. 

I don't have it on any other cards in my collection.

I find that refreshing. 

Finally, we have a card I've had my eye on for a while. 

This one is a manu-patch from 2012 UD Football:

 

MSU really doesn't get a lot of love in football products, which is understandable...

When I found out about this card, I had to get it!

UD did a great job with these, adding dimension to the patch really makes it pop.

Overall, a good LCS visit. 

And the dreaded meeting wasn't that long. 

Well, for me anyway...

I hope y'all have a smooth Friday and an enjoyable weekend!

And as always, thanks for stopping by!

Staying unabashed and interested, 

-Ruffin

Updates

Hey folks!
Been a while hasn't it?
Sorry for being a little quiet on this front, but there hasn't really been a whole heck of a lot going on.

Well, collecting wise.

My off days were rearranged so I could be off work for my son's first birthday.
I usually use my off days for blog scans/outlines; so I've been a quiet watcher in the wings, driving up your view counts...

I do want to show off my....

HOLY CRAP! (Sorry, just saw a commercial for a Rocky Road Klondike Bar...)
Yes, that's the highlight of watching Burnett working on a shutout against the Cardinals. 

Sorry, my pickup from The Dimwit's case break:

Man, is that a lazy auto or what?

*Jay is the only Cardinal to have an auto in each GQ release

I seriously can't complain though. ELEVEN teams went hitless in our case. 

Topps seriously jacked up the collation in 2012 Gypsy Queen. 

Seriously, THREE bat barrels in a single case?

That's just sad. 

Not to mention duplicates in mini-boxes. 

Also, there were some things that disappointed me about this year's GQ. 

When I started really getting into collecting, GQ was the first set I sunk my teeth into; so it had a special place in my heart. 

Given market trends, next year will probably be a "low order" set that will turn into "high demand". (Similar to the 2011 release.)

That being said, I'm still working on completing a full master team set for the Cardinals.

Aside from the Freese (SSSSSSSSSSP) I've got the base set rounded out, and I'm now working on base minis. 

If you have any extras laying around, I'm looking for: 34,82,103,105,264,289,279,307,322,343

That updates my 2013 collecting goals to:

Complete 2013 Topps emerald team set

Complete 2013 Gypsy Queen base and mini team set

Thanks for stopping by!

Staying unabashed and interested,

-Ruffin

*Oh thank goodness, Beltran just broke up the no-hitter!

Really? Where have these been?!

Well, Topps.
I want an answer.

WHAT THE HECK?
How long has Topps had these stickers?
Where are the Triple Threads?
Or the dual/triple autos in Gypsy Queen?
This is his first certified auto in SEVEN years!
And you make it a wrapper redemption?
When he's not in the base set?
This is ridiculous.

Granted, my Carpenter auto looks nicer on the whole, but I'm very disappointed in Topps for doing this.
A player of Carpenter's caliber deserves better treatment than this.

Carrying on with my unabashed interest,
-Ruffin

2013 GQ Blaster in "three" pictures...

Well, the Wal-Mart that is less than half a mile away from my apartment finally got some Gypsy Queen in.
Fortunately, I had just enough cash to pick up a blaster!

I had originally planned on posting this last night, but my Dad and I went to our first MSU baseball game in almost 17 years last night.
The Bulldogs came to town for a contest against the South Alabama Jaguars (former stomping grounds of David Freese, Adam Lind, and Louis Gonzalez among others), at their stadium (Eddie) Stanky Field. 

The Jags scored first, but thanks to a few errors, and a BALK, of all things, the Bulldogs soon had a 4-1 lead. 
State made a few errors of their own, and the game was tied 4-4 in the 7th.
The Bulldogs manged to score two more runs on a single by their first baseman, Wes Rhea. A save was recorded from sophmore Johnathan Holder (great last name for a closer, eh?) and the Bulldogs improved to 24-8 on the season.

Also brought my recent vintage acquisitions to show my dad, it's always nice to talk Cardinals baseball with him since he listened to a lot of games on the radio growing up.
A lot of vintage players that I can only read about he talks about like they just hit the field last night.
It's fun, and gives me even more motivation to track down some more vintage stuff!

Oh, this is a post about a GQ blaster, isn't it?
Sorry for the rambling, haha!
Without further ado...

Here are the minis:

A decent assortment of players, in my opinion...

Here are the inserts and SPs:

 

 Whoop! Cardinals SP!

Dealing Aces/No-Hitters really do have a nice template to their design. 

I'm not entirely sold on the yello card backs, though...

*The Ruiz "Collisions at the Plate" will be a nice addition to my 

"Cardinals Cameo" collection!

And finally, I got a hit!

 

Can't really complain on getting a 1:64 retail hit in 8 packs!

Overall, not a bad blaster. 

I have a few bucks left over from the game last night, so I may pick up a value pack or two today. 

Here is the base card breakdown:

Yankees, Diamondbacks-4

Cardinals, Braves, Twins, Rockies, Nationals, Mariners, Phillies-2

Athletics, BoSox, ChiSox, Reds, Dodgers, Padres, Rays-1

Well, that's all from me for now!

Thanks for stopping by!

Staying unabashed and interested, 

-Ruffin