Growth of the Collection

The year is coming to an end and I can look back and see how my Cubs collection has grown during this year and also over the past eight years.

I came into 2016 with 13,896 Cubs cards.  Since then I've added 658 new Cubs to the collection. That makes my new total 14,554 cards of the boys in blue.

Here is a chart of the card totals from May, 2009 thru today.

You can see that I've almost tripled my collection.  The biggest growth was the early years, as I was catching up from my hiatus.  The past few years has seen slower, but still steady increases.

I see no reason for anything to change in 2017.

I'm Eight!

It was eight years ago today, December 30, 2008, the the first post of Wrigley Wax hit the net.

I started the blog because I had gotten back into collecting for about a year but couldn't find any Cub-specific blogs.  It surprised me because the Cubs were coming off of two straight division titles (though two straight post-season flops).

Fast forward eight years and I'm no longer the lone Cub card blogger.  I'm thrilled to have company.
The Cubs over the past eight years?  You know the story.  Team declines, Lou quits, team is sold,  Theo is hired, franchise is completely overhauled, 100 losses, prospects develop, 97 wins, 103 wins and a title.

It's been quite a ride and it's been nice to share the ride with you.

2016 NLDS Scorecard

Here's a recent addition to the scorecard collection...

I was really disappointed when I went the NLCS game 1 and saw that there was no Cubs scorecard.  MLB takes over for the NLCS and the World Series.  So that left me with just the NLDS card to find.  It was a fairly simple find.

It looks like the picture is from September 16, the day after the Cubs clinched the division title.  The clinched because of a Cardinal loss the night before, so they didn't have a chance to celebrate.  The celebration was going to be after this game on the 16th and the won the game as Miguel Montero hit a walk off homer.

2016 World Series Blister

I wrote this post before the Christmas miracle arrival of the Boxed Set.  I'll get to those cars is a few days.  Today its the blister version of the World Series.  There are only 15 cards in this set, ten less than the boxed set.  Yet the prices I've seen have been the same for both.

Honestly, this is a money grab for Topps.  The regular season factory team sets go for $4.99 and there are 17 cards.  The World Series edition, with two less cards is going for 20 bucks.  Four times the price for two less cards.  A money grab.

You should have noticed right away that most of these are aligned horizontally.  That's a bummer for me.  The cards go in sheets in a binder and the sheets are vertically aligned.  When I want to look at theses, I have to turn the binder instead of just being able to page through the sheets.

The backs have a small write-up and some game details

My First 2017 Schedule

For the past few years the Cubs have been putting out three versions of their season schedule.  The first comes out in the fall, as soon as the next year's schedule is released.  The second schedule is a special Cubs Convention version. The final version comes out in March and it is the one they use for the rest of the year.

This is the 2017 early version.  Times are listed for just the home games.  There is not ticket information or promotions listings.  It's just the bare-bones schedule.

A Christmas Miracle!!

Here's the update to my Topps order debacle.

Here's what you already know...

• The original shipment arrived on December 20 with a blaster of Topps Chrome instead of the Cubs World Series Box
• I called Topps right away, but customer service was already closed,  They are open only from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. EST
• I called on the 21st and spent 70 minutes on hold.  I was then told that I'd have to send the Chrome cards back first and then they'd send my Cubs cards.  I voiced my displeasure and was told they'd try to get me the cards, but made no promises.  A return label would be emailed to me within 24 hours.

Here's the update:
No label every came so I called Topps right at 9 a.m. on Friday, the 23rd.  The office was closed for the holiday.  I'd have to wait until Tuesday to call about the label, wait for the label, return the cards, and then get my cards.  I may not have my cards until after New Years.   NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

And then, the Christmas miracle.

Mrs. WW is getting ready to pick up a few odds and ends early on the 24th.  She pops in and says that there is a package for me on the porch.  I grab the box.

It's from Topps!  I open the box and find...

...the Cubs World Series Set!!

There was even a hand-written note inside the box with an apology!!

Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards men.....and Topps

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!!

Mrs. WW always wanted a theme tree, so this year we did it!  I've shown pictures of the tree with just lights and one ornament in previous posts.

This is the completed tree....a red C and an assortment of Cubs ornaments inside the C.

The top row are Starting Lineup figures.  I put a small eyelet through their helmets and voila, it's an ornament suitable for hanging.  From left to right that's Billy Williams, Ernie Banks, Andre Dawson, and Sammy Sosa.

The next row has the glass ornaments, from 2016, 1984, Wrigley Field, and 2003.

On the bottom are another glass one with the logo, a snowman and a snowflake.

We usually have a tree full of other ornaments, but once every 108 years we can go with fewer.

The Christmas Story According to St. Luke

If the networks can run A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph, and the Grinch every year, then  I think I can re-run this post every Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

From the Gospel according to St. Luke, the second chapter: 

In those days

Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire

world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register. So

also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of

because he belonged to the

and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the

to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. 

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a

because there was no

for them in the inn. And there were

living out in the

nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at

An

of the

appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

May the simple, yet miraculous truth 

of the Christmas story 

touch your heart anew this year.

Peace,

Paul

Wrigley Wax