The Lost Cards File. My First Post

I've been collecting since the age of 8 when my Dad bought my brother and I a box of random junk wax from the 80s for a bargin price I'm sure.  The box was filled with some stars but mostly no namers and a few topps team stickers that made the whole thing worth it at the time.  It felt like our own personal baseball treasure.  Eventually my brothers enthusiasm wanned, but mine didn't.  Nearly 20 years later and I'm finally starting a blog about it.  Aside from a few bad trades when I was younger (a Griffey Jr. rookie for a Todd Hundley collection... I got had.) I pretty much kept every card I ever came across. 

Eventually the time would come when I had to part with some of my cards.  I had just gotten married and my wife and I had been stretched pretty thin and we didn't know how we were going to pay some of our bills.  Well I guess thats why i've been collecting cards all this dang time so it was time for them to save the day.  I basically sold my best cards for a fraction of there value but got enough to pay those bills and keep us a float. 

My wife and I are doing great now and my collection has never been better really.  However, I really do miss the cards I lost and hope to get them back one day.  Hence the name of the blog... The Lost Cards File.  Below is a chronicle of the cards I sold and a little discription about each one.  If you have any and you'd like to offer a trade or sale I'm interested.  Here they are...

My Best Retail Pull (at time of sale)

2007 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs

Brooks Robinson ROA-BR

I pulled that card from a blaster box at Target for $20.  At last check the BV was $120

This would be my first Mail Day Cards. 1994 Nabisco All Star Legends Frank Robinson and Jim Palmer.  I was 10 years old cutting out UPCs to get these bad boys and was over the top when they came in the mail.

The next one is one of my biggest collecting thrills to date.  I walked in to my local shop during a lunch break at work and saw they had the 2000 Fleer Updates boxes for $20.  Turns out they lost these when they first came out and had just found them and priced them to move.  1 out of every 80 Boxes had a Mantle Pieces Card.  There was 5 on the shelf and I went for the middle one.  I paid up and went to the car and as soon as I shut my door I was cracking it open.  I was guaranteed the Johan Santana Rookie that was BV $15 so I didn't have much to lose.  When I pulled back the box lid I saw a tiny sliver of silver in the midst of all this grey cardboard.  Low and behold...

Mickey Mantle Fleer Tradition MP1

As I've gotten older there are few people I know who will relate to my card collecting habits.  I actually rubbed off on my cousin and he began to collect hockey cards.  He's a huge Pittsburg fan but I don't hold that against him.  So I took a road trip from Baltimore to Indiana, PA and we hit up his local shop.  I picked up a tin pack of 2009 Sweet Spots Baseball and pulled a card that was the gem of my collection untill I sold it.  It will be forever known as the Best Road Trip Pull.

2009 Sweet Spots Signatures Derek Jeter S-DJ ($200 BV)

This next card I would call my best Bargin Bin Find.  This card came out of a $10 mystery pack at Walmart.  A box of mostly bad 80's wax and a 1 in 4 chance of an autograph.  I opened my box and saw a little brown envelope and knew I hit an autograph.  I had expected a garbage prospect card of a no name player and was happily surprised with this.

1993 Ted Williams Collection Brooks Robinson BR3

The rest of the cards below made up my entire offer and helped me get enough cash to pay off some bills.  They were good cards but had no special attachment to me aside from the fact that I have a hard time parting with any baseball card.

(Not exact, mine spelled "Steady" his nickname.)

2008 Topps Triple Threads TTR-69 22/27

(Mine was not graded)

 1997 Donruss Signature Frank Robinson 1668/2000

2003 UD Sweet Spot Cal Ripken Jr. SJ-CR

(Mine was not this patch version, Black swatch Ripken, White swatch seam Murray)

2008 Sweet Spot Cal Ripken Jr. Eddie Murray Dual Jersey DS-RM

2002 Topps Archive Reserve Brooks Robinson TRR-BR

2006 Fleer Greats of the Game Steve Carlton 86-AU

2005 Topps All Time Fan Favorites Juan Marichal FFA-JMA

And this concludes the Lost Cards File and my first post.  I'll check back with some other stuff I'd like to talk about and hope someone out there reads this and likes it.