Tuesday, March 17, 2015

JBF box cont. + the perils of a collector having pets

I've been tipped off that I should be expecting big card packages from Zippy Zappy and the Junior Junkie this week, so it's looking like a good week for me! I might even receive my haul from Nachos Grande's 2015 Heritage group break (I did very well!). Some eBay wins have arrived (Joey the cat checking them out above) and more are expected to show up soon, too. Maybe a few smaller trades will trickle in. (I know I've got several trades needing to be firmed up from my recent trade bait posts and I hope to get to them soon.) And a bunch of cards from Bo's trade-a-thon are on the horizon as well. So yeah, a big week or two for me coming up, card-wise!

It's funny because last week had a stretch of several days coming home from work to a card-barren mailbox and it was very depressing. Sometimes I lose my cool and slam the mailbox shut in heartbroken anger when there's no trace of trading cards waiting for me in it. (Again, my blog ain't called Baseball Card Breakdown for nothing!) I'm addicted to that new-card fix! I should probably try to win cheap junk on Listia more often simply to keep the card stream flowing.

Luckily last Saturday broke the card drought thanks to a COMC order I was expecting and an unexpected box from Jaybarkerfan. I covered much of that box's contents the other day, but there's still some more great stuff to show off today.

Here's a fancy Nolan Ryan card that comes in its own box.

The backs, which I included here mainly because I thought the box was kinda funny. I'm imagining a bizarre horror movie where a monster rips an arm off the President and steals nuclear launch codes. "He's got the arm, He's got the numbers, He's got the respect, Truly one of a kind! God help us all!! Ahhhhhhh!!!"

Numbered 5280 out of just 10,000!

It's a nice looking card, but unlike the bronze Steve Carlton mini from yesterday, I don't think it would hold up well in a fire. You know the deal.. it's not solid gold, just a thin piece of goldleaf not too unlike aluminum foil. But an awesome addition to my Nolan PC.

Unopened junk wax! You can bet your ass I'm ripping these, but I'll save them for one of those aforementioned times where I've become distraught after not getting any cards in the mail for a few days.

Wes infinitely increased the number of Starting Lineup figures in my collection. I used to have a Vince Coleman back when I was young, but currently didn't have any. This Wally Joyner was already out of the package so I could play with it a bit without the dilemma of whether to open it.

Pretty cool.
The card that came with it was included too (eagle-eyed readers may recall spotting it among the cards of yesterday's post).

Ken Griffey, Jr -- brand new! "Ages 4 to 104" lol.
Honestly, I try to keep my collection cards only, chiefly to appease my wife, since figures, bobbleheads, cups, bats, balls, magazines, etc. can take up a lot of space, but I may have to find a place for these.

Tony Gwynn, Sr -- brand new! Very cool. Tony's figure is looking pretty svelte for that era, but we'll give Kenner a pass and just assume he's sucking it in.

A G.I. Joe guy! Love Snake Eyes. He was always the coolest Joe, right? I'm probably going to have to open this up at some point. I think this is my first "modern" Joe, to go with a handful of vintage 80s action figures.

South Park figure! Nice. I've been a fan since the beginning, but don't think I've ever owned anything from the show besides a few DVDs. This one I'm 99% sure I'm tearing open rather than keep in "collectable condition," but again, I think I'll save that for a rainy day. The figure itself is about the size of an egg, so the packaging is kinda big.

The episode where Stan went goth is pretty good. I was never really a goth, though I do have plenty of Bauhaus and the Cure in my iTunes, for what that's worth.

(Not necessarily my favorite Cure song, but it ties into the cat angle coming later in this post.)

Here's an unopened 1981 Topps Giant card, with the Joyner figure for scale. Forgive my "pack searching," but I was able to ascertain through the package that the card included is the Astros' Art Howe. So I won't rip this, but rather it'll probably find its way to Bru, the only Astros collector currently in my trading circle.

Last item and it's a freaking Beanie Baby! (well, a Bamm Beano, actually.)

As a Padres fan, the "98 Champs" part is a kick in the crotch. But I do like collecting David Wells, so it's a bittersweet item, for sure.

My dog Annie had been resting peacefully while I excitedly tore through the box from Wes. But it was funny how she really perked up the moment I pulled the bear out of the box.

Haha. Yep, it's not too different from the types of toys she gets in her monthly Bark Box (it's like Collector's Crate for dogs).

Annie's a good dog. Super sweet and friendly. She's usually pretty good about knowing what she can and can't chew up. I don't think she's ever done any damage to my cards greater than maybe get a little moisture on them from sniffing. But any stuffed animal type thing, like this bear or the Wampa from a while back, definitely gets her attention and I wouldn't trust her alone in its reach.

Her tail is cropped to a cute nub (was like that when we got her, so not a moral decision we had to make), but that's definitely a plus as a card collector, because otherwise I'm sure her wagging tail would have knocked many-a stack of cards to the floor.

We temporarily have a second pet in the house, cat-sitting a ballsy kitty named Joey while my in-laws take a 2-week cruise. This guy-- in contrast to Annie-- I've definitely got to keep an eye on, especially around my cards. He loves to jump up on things, such as a table with stacks of cards on it. He also has a tendency to rub his head on things, and sometimes chew and scratch stuff.

Luckily, I haven't lost any cards to him yet, though not for lack of effort on his part. While he's cute and cuddly most of the time (and a bit of an asshole other times), the experience has basically convinced my wife and I that we probably won't get a cat of our own anytime soon. We're all for our friends and family having cats that we can cuddle with in small doses, but we're not ready to have one around all the time. (The same could be said about kids, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms.)

Do any of you guys out there have difficulties with your pets endangering your card collection? Ever lose a sweet card to a pet? Let's hear some horror stories!

Anyways, thanks again to Wes for the incredible box of goodies! I'll get a return off to you before too long.


  1. I've never had a pet but I imagine that if I ever have a bird I'd use all of my Rays/Royals/Reds/Cardinals/Tigers/teams-nobody-collects cards as bird cage liners.

  2. Had a dog growing up and cats now, but never a problem. Gus, my cat, sometimes will jump up on the card sorting table, but he usually gets the hint and doesn't come back once I relocate him three or four times. Gotta love the 4 legged critters!

  3. I always had dogs growing up and never lost any cards to them. My cat -- also named Gus, oddly enough -- does exactly the same thing Tom's cat does. I can tell my Gus to get down and he doesn't care. Which is exactly the thing about cats -- they understand you. They just don't care.

  4. Pet story...it's more like a horror story!!

    My sister in law had bought me a hobby box of 2010 Crown Royale a few years ago. When she came home from work one day, she found that the dog had ripped into the package. There were teeth marks all over the cards including a 10/10 auto of Demaryous Thomas!!!!! I still have the cards as a reminder of that time.

    Luckily she replaced my gift with a gift card, but still, that was devastating to see.

  5. I have a 19 month old daughter who chews on stuff like a wild animal. A few cards have been victim to her ever growing reach and vicious bite.

  6. You joined the party too late to listen to a couple of my tales of the dog chewing up cards. But they're still in the Night Owl archives.

  7. I have lost hundreds--probably thousands--of cards to pets. If it was just junk wax, I wouldn't care so much. But a lot of it was vintage--a lot of cards from the sixties that I got out of packs growing up. The St. Louis baseball Cardinals were completely decimated (I think only Gibson was spared) and the Tigers lost most of their outfielders, including Kaline. And its a story I don't want to tell and you don't want to hear. Trust me. You really, really don't. Even so, cards are just things, after all, and pets are people. (Though, in fairness, I might be singing a different tune had it been the Mets that got destroyed.)

  8. First off, GREAT STUFF! from JBF. As for the animals, I love them, don't have any now. Raising 4 girls, we had dogs, cats, even a bearded dragon named Cyclone, he was pretty cool and was the last of the animals (lost him two 2-3 years ago-- kids have been gone for longer but not that way thank God). Never had one card even bothered by the pets, seriously not one stack knocked over. Of course they were never allowed in the rooms where cards were unless the cards were in a monster box, and the days when the cards were everywhere like window sills, counter tops kitchen table, desk, etc.... never an issue. Now, the mail man, that's another story.. LOL

  9. Might be a little longer than a week-or-two. Maybe it will come in the middle of a mailbox dry spell!

  10. Nice!You need more modern Joes Gavin!That Snake Eyes Is newer than the 80's stuff ,but the 2006 stuff and up Is pretty amazing.