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Archive for Topps Million

And another Strasburg Topps Million Card?

Posted in Newspaperman with tags baseball, baseball cards, Stephen Strasburg, Topps, Topps Million on August 12, 2010 by Cardboard Icons

The Topps Million Card Giveaway site just came up after maintenance. Looks like someone struck it rich again. — 4:04 p.m. Pacific. That’s two in two days … none of which are mine.

Topps Million Trade No. 3

Posted in Newspaperman with tags baseball, baseball cards, Joe Mauer, Topps Million, vintage baseball cards on April 8, 2010 by Cardboard Icons

I’ve been getting a lot of interest in my vintage cards on Topps Million, and for good reason. I mean when anyone redeems a code on the Web site, they hope they see something made before 1980.

On Wednesday, I got an offer for one my present-day star cards, a 2005 Joe Mauer. I received the Mauer in a deal straight up for a 2005 Ken Griffey Jr. a few weeks ago. I obtained the Mauer because I was building a lot of Twins cards that I was hoping to trade to some Twins fan. But when I logged into Topps Million on Wednesday, I was confronted with an offer of two semi-vintage cards, a 1968 Dick Green and 1973 Dave Clark, and a 1986 Topps Eddie Milner. I pondered the trade, initially was going to reject it, and then thought about it some more. In the end I wound up accepting the deal because I love old cards, and I already own a physical copy of the Joe Mauer. When I go to have cards shipped to me, I would rather pay to have vintage commons sent to me than a fairly current Joe Mauer, especially considering I already own a copy of it.

A very tempting trade offer on Topps Million Web site

Posted in Newspaperman with tags baseball, baseball cards, Bob Friend, Cy Young, Ray Murray, Topps, Topps Million, vintage baseball cards on March 12, 2010 by Cardboard Icons

More times than not, the trade offers tossed around on the Topps Million Giveaway Web site are a joke. But when someone offers vintage for vintage, you at least need to take a second to mull it over, unless of course they are offering you a scrub for your star.

This morning I logged in to see what kind of half-cocked ideas some of my fellow collectors came up with, and surprisingly they were not half bad. There seems to be a good amount of interest in my 1956 Topps Bob Friend, and today it appears that people were at least offering me cards of the same era. I got offered a common Red Sox pitcher from the same year, as well as two separate offers of common 1954 Topps cards.

While I appreciate the offers, I was inclined to decline them because Bob Friend was a pretty damn good pitcher. He was not a superstar, but he was pretty good. If for no other reason, at least I have heard of Bob Friend.

But one of the 1954 Topps commons really has me thinking about executing a trade. Why? Because of the cartoon on the back. Check out this Ray Murray.

Chances are I’ll hold onto my Friend, but eventually owning this particular card and this cartoon is pretty classic. I could buy a ’56 Friend at my LCS for $2. A Murray — assuming they have one — would cost me more because it is an earlier release. Hmm.

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Your chance to win a 1958 Topps Mickey Mantle/Hank Aaron!

Posted in Newspaperman with tags baseball, baseball cards, free baseball cards, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Topps, Topps Million, vintage baseball cards on March 7, 2010 by Cardboard Icons

So Topps wants to give you back the cards your mother threw out? I guess I do too, only you won’t be getting a 1987 Pete Rose or 2009 Paul Konerko. One lucky winner will receive an original vintage 1958 Topps “World Series Batting Foes” featuring Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron.

I am nearing 100,000 page views, which is a lot for me considering I don’t: a) have sponsorship, thereby not breaking the latest product; b) hold routine contests; or c) write reviews or previews of product I don’t care about. This accomplishment, when it happens later this month, will be a momentous occasion for this collector. And when it happens, one of my readers will be a winner.

OK, so here’s the deal, I have two of these 1958 Topps World Series Batting Foes cards in very different condition. Neither is mint, but each is equally desirable I think. In order for you to win, all you’ve got to do is look at these cards and the description I give of each and write a short paragraph in the comments section telling me which card you’d rather have and why. The winner will be RANDOMLY picked from all qualifying answers, and he or she will receive the card which they wrote about.

I know this isn’t a bright, shiny refractor version of the latest hot prospect, but how can you pass on a chance to win a real vintage Mantle and Aaron card? All it will take you is a few moments of your time. I’m even paying for shipping.

(click the images for larger versions)

Card A // Card B

(click the images for larger versions)

Card A is very near and dear to my heart. I actually wrote about it more than a year ago. Anyhow, Card A is in great shape if it weren’t for the tape residue at the top of bottom. It has four decent corners and no creases. I see two surface wrinkles, one on the front near Mickey’s head, and one on the back near the card number. There also is some surface wear, which is evident with the slight discoloration of Mickey’s hat (see the white spot?) The centering is a bit off up and down, but not horrendous.

Card B is new to my collection. It actually displays a bit better than Card A, even though it is in worse shape. The card’s corners are rounded, I see no less than three creases, and there is a tiny tear near Mickey’s arm. This tear is evident on the back near the word “foes.” The centering is off up and down, yet the card looks amazing on display because there is no tape or discoloration.

I would be proud to have either of these cards displayed in my collection, and will still have one when this contest is over. But all that is left to decide is which one stays and which ones goes to you.

The contest will run until I reach 100,000 page views (which is about 7,500 away — the stats are visibile on my home page.) The winner will be selected within 24 hours of that, and a video of the random selection will be posted here.

Only one entry per person, anyone caught doubling up will be automatically eliminated. Make sure to pick which card and tell me why — and don’t simply state “because it’s free.” Give your answer some thought, I will be using some of these comments in a future blog about vintage cards. Also, make sure to think before you pick your card — YOU CANNOT CHANGE YOUR MIND LATER. Comments MUST be left on the blog.

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Topps Million Card Giveway Is Pure Fun

Posted in Newspaperman with tags baseball, baseball cards, Topps, Topps Million, vintage baseball cards on February 15, 2010 by Cardboard Icons

Yes, I know the Topps Web site has been a huge pain in the ass today, but one has to admit it is pretty fun to enter a code into a Web site and see what card you’ve unlocked.

I know a lot of us are getting a handful of commons from sets made within the last 20 years, but if you’re upset about it, then maybe you need a new hobby. This Giveaway promotion is something that really is a win-win for us collectors. These code cards were seeded 1 in 6 packs, so they are not that hard to get. If you were not into the promotion, you could sell your lot of unused codes on eBay for about a buck a piece. If you’re into the promotion, then it’s an added bonus to a product you were going to buy anyway. And in the end, if you do no like the card you unlocked, you are under no obligation to have the card shipped to you.

Personally I had nine codes to enter today, and I started off on a high note grabbing two vintage cards, but it all went down hill from there. Regardless of the result, it is a fun promotion that I look forward to participating more with in the future.

Want to know what cards I unlocked? Here they are in the order they were “pulled.”

1) 1956 Bob Friend