I'm thrilled that the set I bought on June 29 was in my hands on July 3. I've never had a complete set in hand so close to the release date. Usually I've got a month or so wait, so this is very exciting. The seller, textbookbuyers, also included an empty hobby box. Since I never buy these, this is my first box, and I can see where the excitement of getting a box and ripping some packs can come from.....but I'm still too cheap to take the plunge.
Rather than a long rambling description of the set, I'm going to do some random thoughts that came to my mind as I was paging through......
I really like the darker, bolder colors (like the blue and red on this one) over the washed out colors in last year's set.
Action shots....there were way too many of them (I counted 27). They don't belong in Allen and Ginter. Save them for the flagship brand. Keep A&G vertical.
Lucy....Someone was wondering if it was a card of Charlie Brown's Lucy, or just who it was....its a card of a skeleton.
It's a good thing these guys were really smart, because in these pictures they looks really dorky!
If Topps can change the uniform to match the player's new team, why couldn't they give Magglio a haircut, which he got in June of '09.
It took me 10 minutes to give Maggs a haircut.
They look on Alex Gordon's face says, "The jokes on you, how many of you suckers paid way too much for my cards!!" And by the way, why is there a card of this guy in the set at all?
This card would have looked a lot cooler with a picture of Michael Keaton.
The set has two Scott cards; one would have been enough. Keep the guy on the left, dump the one on the right.
Didn't this guy play with Freddy Mercury in Queen?
Doesn't he play for the Reds? Oh yeah, that's
Votto, not Gatto
That is all.
Wow, that was fast!!
I bought my Cubs set last Tuesday night and they were in my hands Saturday! Thank you sportstntcards! Even better, my complete set arrived too! That too was bought on Tuesday.
As much as I like reading everyone else's posts on A&G, it's so much better to have them in my hand instead of on a computer screen.
I really like the looks of the cards this year. I wasn't crazy about the soft colors on last year's set. This year they seem brighter, more vibrant. I think the background color helps with that too. This is the first year of the five that A&G has a colored background instead of a plain white. Plus, the background color matches nicely with the blue in the Cubs uniform. I like the change.
Today I've got the Cubs to show you. Tomorrow, I'll have my take on the complete set.
As far as the Cubs go, there were nine in the set, with only one of them (Ryan Theriot) being a short-print. It was only five bucks for the nine. The featured players are the usual suspects, Dempster, Fukudome, Lee, Ramirez, Soriano, Soto, Theriot, and Zambrano, plus rookie Tyler Colvin. All eight veterans were in last year's set too. The Cubs haven't had much turnover, though I expect that will change this off-season, based on how the season is going.
Take a peak at my 2010 Allen and Ginter Cubs:
Happy 234th Birthday America!
As we celebrate our nations birthday this fourth of July, I thought I'd check to see if there were any Cubs with a 4th of July birthday.
I came up with three of them. One is someone you've heard of, although not as a Cub. The other two would be known only to the most dedicated of fans.
This picture of Dan Larson is from the Cubs 1982 Media Guide
Dan Larson, born July 4, 1954. Larson was one of a host of Phillies that Dallas Green brought over in 1982. He was a part of the trade that brought Keith Moreland and Dickie Noles to the Cubs for starter Mike Krukow. Larson started six games and worked out of the pen for another six. His record was 0-4 with a 5.67 ERA. He was sent back to the minors in early June and never returned to the majors. There are no Cubs cards of him, and in fact, though he played in parts of seven different seasons, he had only one Topps card, the one above from 1977.
This card is from the TCMA Best of the '50's set released in 1979. He is wearing a uniform, hat, and stirrups the Cubs wore for just one season, 1957.
Chuck Tanner, born July 4, 1929. Here is the name you should recognize, though as his time as a manager, not a player. He spent 1 1/2 seasons with the Cubs in 1957-58 and put up the best numbers of his career. His average over 168 games was .280 with 11 HR and 59 RBIs.
Bill Tremel, born July 4, 1929, the exact same day as Chuck Tanner! Tremel pitched in 57 games for the 1954 - 1956 Cubs. Working exclusively out of the bullpen, he posted a 4-2 record with a 4.05 ERA.
Here is my monthly look at complete set prices, taken from the first five completed sales listings on Ebay on July 1. The prices do not include shipping costs.
Prices for a 2010 complete set are about $15 - $25 cheaper than what the factory sets are pre-selling for. Of course, there is supposed to be a Strasburg card with the factory set, so that has driven the price up. But if all you want are the 660 base cards, there are deals to be had.
The prices for 1969 and 1970 picked up quite a bit over last month (the June data had very few sales).
And now that I've been doing this for a year, the last column will alway be a 12 month average.| Year | July 2, 2010 | June 2, 2010 | May 5, 2010 | 12 Mo. AVG |
| 1969 | $784.86 | $590.00 | $964.83 | $927.68 |
| 1970 | $875.50 | $502.66 | $945.00 | $794.08 |
| 1971 | $696.00 | $631.37 | $529.00 | $923.06 |
| 1972 | $887.04 | $1,179.00 | $729.95 | $890.46 |
| 1973 | $310.06 | $334.58 | $435.13 | $361.38 |
| 1974 | $247.74 | $207.80 | $163.37 | $213.88 |
| 1975 | $208.60 | $282.34 | $289.19 | $268.89 |
| 1976 | $157.29 | $146.19 | $147.70 | $163.35 |
| 1977 | $90.48 | $108.92 | $112.63 | $120.20 |
| 1978 | $79.80 | $91.79 | $96.50 | $88.11 |
| 1979 | $69.19 | $56.29 | $77.34 | $72.98 |
| 1980 | $49.27 | $68.00 | $72.45 | $58.54 |
| 1981 | $21.20 | $26.53 | $31.63 | $25.07 |
| 1982 | $43.12 | $29.00 | $34.55 | $35.96 |
| 1983 | $36.77 | $37.06 | $29.24 | $29.35 |
| 1984 | $17.65 | $22.18 | $17.88 | $17.39 |
| 1985 | $25.90 | $23.93 | $23.90 | $24.67 |
| 1986 | $13.12 | $17.44 | $11.26 | $11.96 |
| 1987 | $9.85 | $7.39 | $6.53 | $8.47 |
| 1988 | $8.89 | $9.31 | $8.75 | $9.20 |
| 1989 | $8.98 | $7.65 | $5.85 | $9.45 |
| 1990 | $11.79 | $3.67 | $6.85 | $9.24 |
| 1991 | $8.95 | $6.29 | $10.83 | $8.28 |
| 1992 | $6.27 | $3.25 | $7.47 | $9.12 |
| 1993 | $17.39 | $12.16 | $21.84 | $17.64 |
| 1994 | $15.31 | $19.10 | $34.79 | $20.24 |
| 1995 | $27.19 | $29.41 | $36.90 | $33.58 |
| 1996 | $18.82 | $10.91 | $17.50 | $15.72 |
| 1997 | $42.39 | $48.00 | $71.90 | $51.62 |
| 1998 | $61.51 | $45.99 | $47.09 | $44.38 |
| 1999 | $23.11 | $19.30 | $33.31 | $21.61 |
| 2000 | $26.97 | $16.05 | $21.48 | $18.53 |
| 2001 | $58.34 | $28.50 | $47.00 | $42.28 |
| 2002 | $29.19 | $25.67 | $48.21 | $29.90 |
| 2003 | $34.37 | $26.84 | $48.89 | $36.34 |
| 2004 | $25.46 | $15.24 | $22.99 | $22.25 |
| 2005 | $27.21 | $23.62 | $17.58 | $21.96 |
| 2006 | $19.41 | $17.60 | $26.09 | $17.97 |
| 2007 | $13.49 | $12.74 | $15.77 | $14.74 |
| 2008 | $19.40 | $17.26 | $22.00 | $21.50 |
| 2009 | $37.80 | $38.19 | $37.58 | $37.37 |
| 2010 | $34.69 | $38.58 | ----------
| $36.64 |
I got in on the Allen and Ginter party early, but for this one, I'm really late!
Topps Pro Debut came out in March, but I didn't take notice of them at all. But recently I found a Cubs team set and that peaked my curiosity. Since this is Topps' first venture into the MiLB arena, I thought I'd go ahead and grab the Cubs. After all, how often do I get a chance to have a Peoria Chiefs or Boise Hawks card?
There are 220 cards in the set. Divide that among 30 teams and you should get 7 or 8 players per team. There were seven Cubs, right on target.
I don't follow the Cubs minor league teams all that carefully, so I have to confess that I have never heard of any of these guys. If more than one of them ends up with the team I'd be surprised.
Here are the seven featured Cubs prospects, plus a little update on how things are going for them so far this summer.
Chris Archer He came to the Cubs in December, 2008, as part of the trade that sent Mark DeRosa to the Indians. He is currently at High A Daytona and he is hot! As a starter, his record is 7-1 with a 2.86 ERA. Those are the kinds of numbers that will get you a promotion!
Ryan Flaherty He was the Cubs second pick in the 2008 draft. After hitting .313 at Daytona, he was moved up to AA Tennessee. He's struggled there, hitting only .183 in 23 games
Brett Jackson He was the Cubs first round pick in the 2009 draft and was a non-roster invitee to spring training. He is the Cubs #2 prospect according to Baseball America. After hitting .316 in 67 games at Daytona, he was just moved up to AA Tennessee.
Hak-Ju Lee Will he be H-Lee if he makes it to Wrigley? He is the regular shortstop for the A Peoria Chiefs and is hitting .270.
D. J. LeMahieu A second round pick in the 2009 draft, D.J. is listed as a second baseman on this card, but as a shortstop on some Bowman cards. He is currently getting playing time at second and third base at Daytona and is hitting .291.
Brooks Raley With a name like Brooks, he should be playing third base, not pitching. With an ERA of 5.14 in Daytona, he should be playing third base!
Rebel Ridling I hope this guy makes it just because of his name. How cool of a name is "Rebel Ridling." Rebel is in Daytona, playing first base and hitting .267.
Check back in three years and well see if any of these guys made it to the show.
I really like it. Along with Heritage, its my favorite of all of the brands I was introduced to when I got back into collecting in 2008. In fact, Allen and Ginter is the only other brand besides the Topps flagship brand that I collect the entire set, not just Cubs.
I've got every complete set of A&G starting from 2006. And (hopefully) in a few days I will have the 2010 set in my hot little hands. Yesterday I was able to buy a set with a best offer. And the best offer is at least $10 cheaper than any completed auction I've seen of full sets. Plus, it was at least $20 cheaper than what a hobby box is going for these days.
I know, I don't get the fun of ripping open some packs, and I don't get the minis, the relics, or the other goodies. And no Strasburg mini, either (I'll have to pay for WW Jr's college education some other way!). But truthfully, unless they are Cubs, I don't really want the inserts. I'm happy to have my 350 regular cards. And since I did so well with with the price, I also went and picked up the This Day in History set. So that makes a total of 425 cards and one happy collector.
I've also started working on the Cubs. I've already got the base cards and the lone Cubs SP bought and on the way. The only other thing I'm after are the five Cubs relic cards, and last night I was able to get take care of three of them. And I got some bargains on those too, including one jersey card for 99 cents.
Free Advice: If your looking to buy relics or special cards, the first few days after release are a good time. I've gotten plenty of bargains buying early. Sellers start most of the auctions at 99 cents, but there aren't enough buyers who know exactly what is out there yet. So if you are informed and early, you can get some good deals. But don't bid on any Cubs stuff-that's mine!
So, within a couple days of the release, I should be done. Now I can just wait for the mailman and then enjoy the cards. I'll leave the ripping to everyone else!
At the beginning of the year, I gave myself several goals for 2010. Now that we are just about at the halfway point of the year, it's time to see how I've done:
My goals from January are in red, and my current status is in black
One goal is to keep getting the new stuff. That should be easier now that Topps has the exclusive MLB contract. The other companies are really going to have to wow me to get me to buy any of the logo-less stuff. From Topps in 2010 I expect to add to my base set, Heritage, Allen and Ginter, Chrome, Bowman, and Turkey Red. Since many of my team set binders are arranged by decade, I'll need to start several new binders.
So far, so good on this one. I've got the base set, Heritage, Bowman, and Turkey Red taken care of. Not on my list, but also complete is National Chicle. I bought the Allen and Ginter team set yesterday. Chrome and T206 will be in my sights as soon as they are released. I did break down and buy the Upper Deck cards, but I'm glad I don't have to worry about them anymore.
A second goal is to add more unusual or odd-ball Cubs team sets to the collection. I'll write more about this in the future, but one of the sets I'll be chasing are the team-issued cards given out at Wrigley Field on Baseball Card Day. There are a few other odd-balls that I'll be looking for as well.
This was a fun one to tackle. I got the Cubs team-issued sets taken care of. That was over 400 cards that I had never seen before. I've also added cards from Conlon, Coke, Action Packed, and Topps Giants. And I'm always scanning ebay for more of these.
A third goal is to put the rest of the Topps complete sets in binders. I have to get 1986 - 2009 put away. I really like the accessiblility and the protection the binders give me. Putting the cards in binders also give me the opportunity to give everything a quick look and make sure I'm not missing anything.
This one I wrapped up a week ago and wrote about it yesterday.
Goal number four is to finish the Turkey Red 2005 set and to get a Topps Chrome 1996 set. It's mostly shortprint cards left with the Turkey Red, so I'll be adding to that a few cards at a time. I've been searching ebay weekly for complete 1996 Chrome sets, but in two months, not a single complete set has been listed. I may have to build that one myself.
I'm one for two with this goal. The Chrome 1996 set is done, but I had to do it buying lots of singles. Luckily, there were sellers at Sportlots that had stacks of these, so it wasn't too difficult. The Turkey Red set got put on the backburner. I think I'll tackle that in the fall, when baseball season is over.
My last goal is to enjoy what I've got and share it with you. Having everything handy and easy to get to should make that easy to accomplish that goal.
I hope I've been getting my last goal taken care of. Since scanning in all of my Cubs, it's been much easier to get posts up, one a day. Now I'm working on getting all my Cubs cards on Photobucket.
It's hard to believe that 2010 is nearly half over. But now that it is, my big question is.....
....is it Twenty-Ten or Two Thousand Ten?
Anyone got a definitive answer on that??
