Pursuit of Red Sox

2011 Topps baseball Stickers

2012-01-27T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have waited long enough to obtain one of these albums and some stickers. I may be a little behind others who are collecting but I am finally here and looking forward to completing it.

So there are 309 stickers to collect.

270 players, 9 legends and 30 team logos. The stickers come 8 per packet.

I have 76 stickers left to complete the whole set.
I need:
5 9 10 16 20 28 31 42 43 44 46 51 54 59 66 70 71 73 75 76 81 87 91 92 96
108 109 110 118 124 129 133 135 138 141 142 146 147 149 155 157 162 164 168 170 173 178 180 189 191 200
205 210 224 227 238 242 243 245 248 251 252 258 259 264 276 277 280 285 287 294 295 298
301 304 307.

17/11/2011 58stickers (7 packets) purchased from e-bay 3, 11, 17, 21, 27, 34, 36, 41, 45, 57, 60, 74, 77, 85 ,93, 99, 101, 106, 111, 112, 114, 115, 117, 123, 125, 126, 134 ,139, 143, 152, 153, 159, 163, 165, 171, 183, 188, 192, 197, 198 ,202, 206, 211, 212, 220, 231, 235, 262, 266, 276 ,281, 282, 283, 286, 287 ,293, 296, 297.
28/11/2011 22stickers from dayf 1, 23, 38, 52, 79, 80, 84, 105, 113, 161, 176, 177, 194, 229, 233, 244, 250, 253, 256, 284, 288, 290
28/11/2011 30stickers (4packs) from dayf 18, 19, 22, 24, 26, 32, 37, 56, 65, 69, 98, 102, 104, 116, 120, 126, 156, 169, 172, 174, 181, 190, 199, 218, 222, 240, 263, 272, 274, 305
10/01/12 90stickers purchased from e-bay 2, 4, 13, 15, 29, 30, 33, 35, 39, 40, 47, 48, 50, 53, 55, 62, 63, 68, 78, 82, 83, 86, 94, 95, 97, 98, 103, 127, 130, 131, 132, 136, 137, 140, 144, 146, 150, 151, 158, 160, 166, 175, 162, 165, 186, 187, 188, 193, 195, 201, 207, 208, 209, 214, 216, 221, 223, 226, 228, 230, 234, 236, 237, 239, 241, 247, 249, 254, 255, 257, 260, 261, 265, 268, 269, 270, 271, 273, 275, 279, 283, 291, 292, 299, 300, 302, 303, 306, 308, 309
27/01/12 37stickers from Ted 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17, 25, 49, 58, 61, 64, 67, 72, 88, 89, 90, 107, 119, 121, 122, 145, 148, 154, 167, 179, 182, 184, 185, 196, 204, 213, 215, 217, 225, 232, 246, 267

2011 Topps Baseball Series 2 Jumbo Pack

2012-01-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

Jumbo packs...$4.99. I like these and if only my local Tesco stocked these. This Jumbo comes from the wonderful Alley Family in North Carolina, who always spring a surprise package full of baseball packs.
Each Jumbo contains 36 cards and a promise of Diamond Anniversary parallel cards.

Only one card left from the Topps base set and that is a series 1 card
#218 Victor Martinez

However there a number of parallel cards and inserts that I am always looking for; firstly Kimball Champions a collar 'Sparkle' card of Jacoby Ellsbury wouldn't unappreciated or the Jacoby silk. The odds of locating a Kimball is 1:1 for the Jumbo packs, I think the odds push towards 1:100's for the other two.

The pack:
Top half first
#5 Lou Gehrig Yankees Diamond Anniversary (a series 1 card?)
#336 Chris Heisey Reds
#369 Wilson Betemit Royals
#378 Mark Reynolds Orioles
#458 Javier Vazquez Marlins
#456 Ryan Doumit Pirates
#469 Cole Hamels Phillies
#500 Kevin Youkilis Red Sox
#551 Marcus Thames Dodgers
#552 San Francisco Giants
#566 Jordan Zimmermann Nationals
#575 Rod Barajas Dodgers
#601 J.J.Putz D-backs
#604 Joe Paterson D-backs
#645 Adam Wainwright Cardinals
#60YOT_63 Ed Mathews Braves
#DD-27 Josh Johnson Marlins Justin Verlander Tigers
#KC-61 Greg Maddux Braves

Bottom half:

#371 Taylor Teagarden Rangers

#372 Jarrod Saltalamacchia Red Sox

#385 Checklist 3/5

#389 Carlos Quentin White Sox

#401 Michael Crotta Pirates

#409 Vin Mazzaro Royals

#435 Elvis Andrus Rangers

#462 Daric Barton Athletics

#465 Yovani Gallardo Brewers

#520 Jorge Posada Yankees

#558 Carlos Zambrano Cubs

#560 Chris Lannetta Rockies

#589 Seattle Mariners

#590 Tim Lincecum Giants

#646 Los Angeles Dodgers

#648 Cody Ross Giants

#T60-97 Jackie Robinson Dodgers

#TT2-30 Carl Crawford Red Sox

Three Red Sox from a 36 card pack, not bad. I was thrown a little by the Series 1 Lou Gehrig in a Seres 2 pack, there doesn't appear to be anything special about it except that it is a Diamond Anniversary card. Unless it is a Platinum variation, any help appreciated.

2011 Topps Baseball stickers

2012-01-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

Part of my witness relocation program with Dayf was 4 packs of Topps baseball stickers. Not looking for Red Sox in these packs because I (maybe stupidly) decided to pursue the whole set of stickers. From these four packs, each containing 8 stickers, I obtained 30 cards(2 swaps) which takes me below the 200 mark of stickers left to collect. I have a feeling it will be a long 2012.
If anyone is interested I now have 9 swaps 3, 34, 45, 85, 99, 176, 198, 220 and 290.

2012 Topps Premier League Sticker Collection

2011-12-21T12:46:00.000-08:00

I need another pursuit like I need a hole in my head. I am attempting this because I feel it will be easier than trying to track down 2011 Baseball stickers. I want to help Big B with a completed collection as well.
462 stickers to collect. Onward and Upward.

I need 363 stickers to complete the whole book:
1
ARSENAL 3 6 7 10 11 12 13 16 19 20 21 22 23 24
ASTON VILLA 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 46
BLACKBURN 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 68
BOLTON 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
CHELSEA 91 92 94 95 96 97 100 102 103 105 106 107 108 109 111 112
EVERTON 113 116 119 121 122 123 125 126 128 131 132 133 134
FULHAM 135 136 137 139 141 143 145 147 149 150 151 152 153 155 156
LIVERPOOL 157 158 159 163 164 168 170 173 174 175 177 178
MAN CITY 180 183 184 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 196 197 198 199 200
MAN UTD 201 202 203 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222
ANNIVERSARY 223 224 225 226 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 241
NEWCASTLE 243 244 246 247 248 249 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 263 264
NORWICH 265 266 267 269 270 272 274 275 276 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286
QPR 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 308
STOKE 309 311 312 313 314 316 317 318 319 320 324 325 328 329 330
SUNDERLAND 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 340 341 342 343 345 347 348 349 350 351 352
SWANSEA 354 356 357 358 361 362 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 372 373 374
TOTTENHAM 375 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 385 386 387 388 389 390 392 393 394 395 396
WEST BROMWICH 397 398 399 400 401 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418
WIGAN 419 420 421 423 424 425 426 428 429 430 431 432 434 435 436 437 438 439 440
WOLVES 441 442 443 444 445 446 448 449 450 451 452 453 458 459 460 462

21/12/2011 50 stickers (10 packets) purchased from newsagents £5.00
24/12/2011 49 stickers (10 packets purchased local newsagents £5.00
28/12/2011 (10 packets purchased from newsagents £5.00

2011 Topps Series 2 Blaster

2011-12-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

The third and final blaster from a recent three blaster haul. I have become pretty lucky to pulling a number of getting Red Sox from packs, that is until the last blaster. Usually Dodgers appear by their multitudes but they are evading me a present too. Hopefully this 2011 Topps Series 2 will get the blog back on track.

BaseballCardPedia has this to say about the 2011 Topps Series 2. Watch out for the Diamond Sparkle Gimmicks... or maybe not.

The Red Sox available from Series 2 are:
#351 Jacoby Ellsbury *
#357 Mike Cameron
#364 Tim Wakefield
#372 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
#406 John Lackey
#423 Hideki Okajima
#425 Adrian Gonzalez *
#464 Daniel Bard
#480 Dustin Pedroia *
#500 Kevin Youkilis
#576 Jed Lowrie
#610 Josh Beckett *
#653 J.D. Drew
*diamond sparkle gimmicks possible

The blaster contains 10 packs, including 2 packs of black background parallel cards and a commemorative patch card.

Pack 1:

#353 Cliff Pennington Athletics diamond

#533 Lorenzo Cain Royals
#571 Jeremy Affeldt Giants

#574 Brandon Kintzler Brewers

#605 Brandon Belt Giants

#642 Jason Hammel Rockies

#652 Edwin Jackson White Sox

#60YOT-69 Stan Musial Cardinals

Pack 2:

#334 St Louis Cardinals

#357 Mike Cameron Red Sox

#383 Ryan Ludwick Padres

#388 Kenley Jansen Dodgers

#440 Grady Sizemore Indians

#602 Ivan DeJesus Dodgers

#609 Juan Francisco Reds

#DS-19 Josh Hamilton Rangers

Pack 3:

#396 Adam Jones Orioles

#435 Elvis Andrus Rangers

#462 Daric Barton Athletics

#532 Erik Bedard Mariners

#546 Los Angeles Dodgers

#647 Jeanmar Gomez Indians

#DS-25 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies

#T60-58 Hank Aaron Braves

Pack 4:

#381 Michael Gonzalez Orioles

#382 Travis Snider Blue Jays diamond
#467 Wade Davis Bay Rays

#486 Francisco Rodriguez Mets

#595 Micael Pineda Mariners

#648 Cody Ross Giants

#60YOT-62 Jackie Robinson Dodgers

#KC-58 Mel Ott Giants

Pack 5:

#352 Colby Lewis Rangers

#408 Benard Span Twins

#413 Derek Holland Rangers

#461 Eric Sogard Athletics

#492 A.J.Burnett Yankees

#582 Kosuke Fukudome Cubs

#T60-98 Marlon Byrd Cubs

#TDG-18 Diamond Giveaway

Pack 6:

#331 Carlos Guillen Tigers

#362 Doug Fister Mariners

#378 Mark Reynolds Orioles

#520 Jorge Posada Yankees

#626 Dan Harden Angels

#654 Chris Getz Royals

#60YOT-107 Roy Halliday Blue Jays

#DD-4 Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford Red Sox

Pack 7:

#438 Ryan Theriot Cardinals

#453 Joe Saunders D-Backs

#509 Michael Bourn Astros

#524 Michael Martinez Phillies
#530 Felix Hernandez Mariners

#560 Chris Iannetta Rockies

#KC-74 Eddie Murray Orioles

#TT2-26 Trevor Cahill Athletics

Pack 8:

#421 Domonic Brown Phillies gold 1115/2011

#469 Joe Blanton Phillies

#518 Michael Morse Nationals

#521 Joaquin Benoit Tigers

#529 Maicer Izturis Angels

#592 Dayan Viciedo White Sox

#641 Travis Wood Reds

#DD-9 Adrian Beltre/Elvis Andrus Rangers

Pack 9: black background

#352 Colby Lewis Rangers

#410 Prince Fielder Brewers

#492 A.J.Burnett Yankees

#574 Brandon Kintzler Brewers

#628 Blake DeWitt Cubs

#638 Ryan Madson Phillies

#DS-15 Cliff Lee Phillies

#KC-67 Pee Wee Reese Dodgers

Pack 10: black background

#355 Justin Verlander Tigers

#380 Jose Reyes Mets

#435 Elvis Andrus Rangers

#454 Alberto Callaspo Angels

#462 Daric Barton Athletics

#524 Michael Martinez Phillies

#632 Scott Kazmir Angels diamond

#60YOT-108 Chris Carpenter Blue Jays

Pack 11: Throwback patch

#TLMP-MG Matt Garza Cubs

Ho hum. A few more Kimballs to knock off the wants list. 2 Red Sox and a bunch of inserts/parallels. As always any cards are up for trade.

2011 Allen and Ginter Blaster

2011-12-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

The second of the gifted blasters is the extra nice Allen and Ginter. I am still hammering away at the 2010 complete base set, so I have pretty much ignored 2011. That is until this blaster came along. Since 2006 Topps have excelled with the Allen and Ginter branding, making it a popular and interesting set to complete. BaseballCardpedia lists the cards available in the 2011 Allen and Ginter set. Besides the Red Sox, there is one particular insert that looks fascinating to me- the US State Cabinet Relics. A 50 card limited set of every US state and featuring a relic from each state such as a space shuttle parachute from Florida, redwood from California, the green monster from New England and a rollercoaster in Ohio. Now that would be a monumental pursuit.

However this posting concentrates on the Red Sox available in the base set, which are;

#17 Jonathan Papelbon
#19 Daniel Bard
#50 Carl Crawford
#55 Dustin Pedroia
#88 David Ortiz
#116 Josh Beckett
#120 Adrian Gonzalez
#121 J.D. Drew
#149 Lars Anderson RC
#171 John Lackey
#182 Clay Buchholz
#208 Marco Scutaro
#270 Kevin Youkilis
~~#294 Jacoby Ellsbury~~
#320 Jon Lester SP
There are 6 cards per pack and 8 packs in the blaster.

Pack1:

#7 Mickey Mantle Yankees

#25 Nelson Cruz Rangers mini A+G back

#180 Kyle Drabek Blue Jays

#243 Mike Nickeas Mets

#FF19 HMS Revenge

#HH26 Torii Hunter Pine Bluff Arizona

Pack 2:

#142 Michael Young Rangers

#153 Scott Cousins Marlins mini

#169 Dan Harden Angels

#175 Jose Bautista Blue Jays

#323 Orlando Hudson Padres

#HH90 Ryan Howard St.Louis Missouri

Pack 3:

#107 L.L.Zamenhof Esperanto Inventor

#232 Picabo Street Alpine Skiing

#337 Drew Storen Nationals

#BHS-8 Cody Ross Giants

#HH3 Brain Wilson Londonderry New Hampshire

SRU4 The Flea Circus mini

checklist 2/5

Pack 4:

#7 Mickey Mantle Yankees code card

#53 Chipper Jones Braves black border mini

#179 Shane Victorino Phillies

#218 Bobby Abreu Angels

#281 Adam Lind Blue Jays

#HH38 Andre Ethier Phoenix Arizona

Pack 5:

#48 Edinson Volquez Reds

#205 Kendrys Morales Angels mini

#296 Derek Lowe Braves

#HH58 Jimmy Rollins Oakland California

#AGR-PS Pablo Sandoval Giants jersey relic

Pack 6:

#26 Edwin Jackson White Sox

#100 Albert Pujols Cardinals

#186 Yunel Escobar Blue Jays

#189 Dexter Fowler Rockies

#327 David DeJesus Athletics black border mini

#HH2 Colby Rasmus Phenix City Alabama

Pack 7:

#204 Jim Thome Twins

#229 Juan Pierre Whie Sox

#250 Ichiro Mariners

#312 Cody Ross Giants

#MMF3 Eli Whitney Cotton Gin

#PP1 Antonio Meucci Telephone

Pack 8:

#29 Johnny Cueto Reds

#71 Chris Perez Indians

#207 Kosuke Fukudome Cubs

#335 Jason Heyward Braves

#AOM4 Porifera (sponges)

#UG9 RMS Queen Mary

What the..?
Not a single Red Sox.
Plenty of interesting inserts, minis and a jersey relic. All lovely cards but no Sox. I need to try a little harder.

2011 Topps Opening Day

2011-12-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

The second to last pack sent by Dayf of Cardboard Junkie. The Red Sox available from this set are:

~~3 Jon Lester~~

~~13 Carl Crawford~~

29 Jonathan Papelbon

~~99 Clay Buchholz~~

~~135 David Ortiz~~

~~148 Kevin Youkilis~~

~~181 Josh Beckett~~

~~183 Jacoby Ellsbury~~

~~192 Dustin Pedroia~~

~~198 Adrian Gonzalez~~

and there is only 1 card I need to complete the Red Sox set #29 Jonathan Papelbon. Will the former Red Sox pitcher be amongst this lonesome pack.

The pack:

#14 Ben Zobrist Bay Rays

#24 Andrew Cashner Cubs

#100 Migual Cabrera Tigers

#155 Cole Hamels Phillies

#156 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals

#UL-4 Alex Rodriguez Yankees

#7/10 David Wright Mets Spot the Error

Please tell me you can see it? I am having trouble.. Still no Pap.

2011 Topps Chrome rack pack

2011-12-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

A 2011 Topps Chrome value pack or Rack Pack if you prefer. Included are 3 packs plus 3 orange refractor parallel cards. For infinite details on this set, go to BaseballCardPedia 2011 Topps Chrome for all the inserts, parallel and game used etc.
The Red Sox available from the base set are:
3 Carl Crawford
12 David Ortiz
~~25 Adrian Gonzalez~~
34 Josh Beckett
49 Jonathan Papelbon
55 Jon Lester
90 Kevin Youkilis
116 Clay Buchholz
124 Jacoby Ellsbury
161 Dustin Pedroia
There are only 4 cards per pack. So collecting the base set of 220 cards is no mean feat.
Firstly the three orange refractors were:

#50 Ichiro Mariners

#64 Vernon Wells Angels

#209 Cory Luebke Padres

Pack 1:

#10 Hanley Ramirez Marlins refractor

#86 Drew Stubbs Reds

#107 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers

#198 Eduardo Nunez Yankees

Pack 2:

#25 Adrian Gonzalez Red Sox

#61 Yovani Gallardo Brewers refractor

#180 Hank Conger Angels

#188 Alexi Ogando Rangers

Pack 3:

#75 Roy Halladay Phillies

#164 Jered Weaver Angels

#172 Brandon Belt Giants

#VC14 Matt Kemp Dodgers

I may finally have a package to send along to Nightowl, the Dodgers cards have been slowly drifting in again. Any Angels collectors out there?

1 Red Sox from three packs, a little underwhelming...

2002 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia

2011-12-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

This is a surprise pack that arrived with some other cards I purchased from eBay. The Absolute Memorabilia brand ran for for a few years from 2001 to 2005, which was when the Playoff/Donruss/Leaf deal expired. Absolute Memorabilia is an amazing set. The base cards were limited to between 100 and 200 but the number of inserts, parallels and relics defies belief. The 2005 set have no less that 40 different inserts available.
The 2002 Absolute set has 200 base cards, which includes 150 veterans and 50 rookie/prospects. The rookie/prospects were limited and numbered to 1000 each. There is also, randomly inserted into packs, parallel cards called 'Spectrum'. The veterans were numbered and limited to 100. The rookie/prospects numbered and limited to 50 of each.
The most interesting and notable inserts are called 'Signing Bonus'. Inserted one per box, the 313 plaque set varied in print run from 1 to 250. Measuring roughly 8inches by 10inches, each framed plaque featured a numbered jersey piece, an autograph of the player and either an American flag or an Absolute card. However this isn't the interesting part, it was more the list of names available which includes, Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, Tris Speaker, Ted Williams, Nap Lajoie, Connie Mack, Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Collins, Ty Cobb and it goes on.
The very thick pack contain four base cards and a signing bonus entry card or presumably one of the many relic/autograph/memorabilia cards on offer.

The Pack:

#26 Nomar Garciaparra Red Sox

#33 Mark Buehrle White Sox

#75 Shawn Green Dodgers

#142 Alex Rodriguez Rangers

The extremely thick insert was an entry in to the

#16 Reggie Jackson autographed framed piece.

So a free added extra. Very nice.

2011 Topps Update blaster

2011-11-29T13:16:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was gifted three blaster. This is the first blaster- 2011 Topps Update. 10 packs, 2 of which are exclusive blue bordered parallel cards and a commemorative flashback patch. There is a site, far greater than this one, that provides very detailed information about virtually every card set released. That site is BsaeballCardpedia. The 2011 Topps Update set is featured here, which list the inserts, parallels and relics available.

However, the Red Sox available in the base set are:

US1 Adrian Gonzalez
~~US9 Jose Iglesias RC~~
~~US20 Adrian Gonzalez~~
~~US42 David Ortiz~~
US78 David Ortiz
~~US122 Alfredo Aceves~~
US126 Adrian Gonzalez
~~US144 Kevin Youkilis~~
US166 David Ortiz
US257 Erik Bedard
US278 Jacoby Ellsbury
US296 Bobby Jenks
US300 Carl Crawford
Topps also added a further 50 Kimball Champions for me the chase. I have added those to the Pursuit.

The Blaster

Pack 1:

#US9 Jose Iglesias Red Sox
#US64 J.C.Romero Yankees
#US71 Jeff Francis Royals
#US147 C.J.Wilson Rangers
#US182 Ronny Paulino Mets diamond
#US259 Checklist 2/5
#US267 Sam Fuld Bay Rays
#US295 Wilson Ramos Nationals

Pack 2:

#US15 Aaron Heliman D-backs

#US62 Jason Marquis D-backs

#US74 Henry Blanco D-backs

#US90 James Russell Cubs

#US194 Jason Kipnis Indians

#US223 Arthur Rhodes Rangers

#US316 Justin Upton D-backs

#DD-25 Eric Hosmer Royals /Freddie Freeman Braves

Pack 3:

#US16 Welington Castillo Cubs

#US20 Adrian Gonzalez Red Sox

#US22 Randall Delgardo Braves

#US139 Rafael Soriano Yankees

#US174 Jacob Turner Tigers

#US298 Yorvit Torrealba Rangers

#T60-125 Paul Molitor Blue Jays

#TDG-26 Carl Crawford Red Sox

Pack 4:

#US55 Anthony Rizzo Padres

#US179 Michael Pineda Mariners cognac

#US222 Chris Gimenez Mariners

#US235 Charlie Morton Pirates

#US258 Andres Ethier Dodgers

#US274 Jeff Karstens Pirates

#US272 Jorge Cantu Padres diamond

#US309 Paul Konerko White Sox

Pack 5:

#US36 Josh Juby Indians cognac

#US61 Nick Masset Reds

#US70 Michael Wuertz Athletics

#US119 Jeff Francoeur Royals

#US122 Alfredo Aceves Red Sox

#US172 Jonny Venters Braves

#US297 Chase d'Arnaud Pirates

#T60-119 Tom Seaver Reds

Pack 6:

#US42 David Ortiz Red Sox

#US69 Gerald Laird Cardinals

#US135 Grant Balfour Athletics

#US144 Kevin Youkilis Red Sox

#US150 Adrian Beltre Rangers

#US195 Joey Votto Reds

#US276 Yuniesky Betancourt Brewers

#T60-136 Bert Blyleven Twins

Pack 7:

#US18 Robinson Cano Yankees

#US92 Hunter Pence Phillies

#US99 Carlos Villanueva Blue Jays

#US185 Orlando Hudson Padres

#US221 Jamey Carroll Dodgers

#US269 Sergio Santos White Sox

#US322 Fernando Martinez Mets

#KC-111 Tris Speaker Red Sox

Pack 8:

#US66 Andy Birks Tigers

#US112 Lonnie Chisenhall Indians

#US116 Shawn Camp Blue Jays

#US281 Mark Melancon Astros

#US282 Brad Hand Marlins

#US283 LaTroy Hawkins Brewers

#US291 Andrew McCutchen Pirates

#T60-108 Babe Ruth Red Sox

Pack 9: blue border 1

#US14 Alex Zlvila Tigers

#US53 Koji Uehara Rangers

#US61 Nick Masset Reds

#US124 Xavier Paul Pirates

#US267 Sam Fulb Bay Rays

#US289 Eric Chavez Yankees

#US313 Tyson Ross Athletics

#645 Bob Gibson Cardinals cognac

Pack 10: blue border 2

#US63 Doug Fister Tigers

#US70 Michael Wuertz Athletics

#US89 Sean O'Sullivan Royals diamond

#US132 Jose Altuve Astros

#US194 Jason Kipnis Indians

#US223 Arhtur Rhodes Rangers

#US315 Carlos Pena Cubs

#244 Mike Aviles Royals cognac

Bonus pack 11: Throwback Patch

#TLMP-PM0 Paul Molitor Twins

Could I say with conviction that 8 Red Sox from 80 cards is a good ratio. A whole pack of Red Sox! Quite a few diamond anniversary cards as well from this blaster, particularly the cognac variation. With a stated ratio of 1in12, which are approximate odds-7 cards in 10 packs is a damn good ratio.

2011 Topps Attax baseball

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

Another pack of cards from Dayf, this time a pack of 2011 Topps Attax baseball.
Just to clear something up that I wasn't sure of the last time I opened a pack of these- Which are the rare and ultra rare cards? A helpful reader dropped me a e-mail to say that the diamond in the bottom right corner denotes the rarity of the card.
As such:

A black diamond is common,
a silver diamond is uncommon,
a gold diamond is rare and,
a white diamond is ultra-rare.

So now you know. All a person, with ample amounts of time on their hand, has to do is create a checklist.
There are 258 cards in the base set, consisting of 206 players, 25 Mascots and 27 Stadiums. The cards are ordered alphabetically by first name. There are foil variations of every card, which should be regarded as a parallel set. There are two inserts, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth Legend cards.

The Red Sox available from this set are:
#7 Adrian Gonzalez
#37 Carl Crawford
#55 Clay Buchholz
#66 David Ortiz
#77 Dustin Pedroia
#102 Jacoby Ellsbury
#116 Jon Lester
#117 Jonathan Papelbon
#123 Josh Beckett
#134 Kevin Youkilis
#230 Wally the Green Monster
#240 Fenway Park SP Stadium

The pack from Dayf contains 12 cards.

The Pack:

#10 Alex Rodriguez Yankees uncommon

#20 Aubrey Huff Giants common

#27 Brandon Phillips Reds common

#61 Corey Hart Brewers uncommon foil

#77 Dustin Pedroia Red Sox rare

#93 Heath Bell Padres ultra-rare

#120 Jose Reyes Mets rare

#123 Josh Beckett Red Sox common

#132 Kelly Johnson D-backs common

#156 Michael Young Rangers uncommon

#188 Stephen Drew D-backs uncommon

#235 Chase Field D-backs common

A two Red Sox pack, nice.
Of some interest of those inclined, there are two variations (error) cards:
#33 Brain McCann who can be seen with one hand or two hands on the bat and,
#154 Michael Bourne with a #21 or #42 jersey.

2010 Allen and Ginter

2011-11-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Here is the pack from the Yawkey Way store opposite Fenway Park, courtesy of Mark. I am trying to collect the complete 2010 base set, and failing miserably, so any cards out of the pack from the wants list would be great.
Before this pack I still need a whopping 144 of the 350 to complete the base set plus a side collection of Monsters of the Mesozoic. Also known as the Dinosaur set.

The pack:

#49 Jennry Mejia Mets mini black border

#197 Johnny Damon Tigers

#206 J.D.Drew Red Sox

#235 Carlos Guillen Tigers

#309 Casey McGehee Brewers

#TDH40 Jake Peavy White Sox

The wants list has been reduced by three and a Red Sox too. Only 141 to go.

2002 Topps Stadium Club

2011-11-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

When Stadium Club was introduced in 1991, the borderless full bleed glossy cards were Topps attempt to enter the premium card market.

The 2002 set contained 125 cards, of which the last 25 cards (#101--125) were short printed and numbered to 2999.

There were two inserts available called Reel Time (1 in 8packs) and Stadium Shots (1 in 12packs).

There were relic cards aplenty with the overall odds of finding a relic 1 in 22packs. They included: All Star relics, Passport to the Majors jersey or bat relics, Stadium Club Bat barrel, Bat handle and Bat middle slices plus World Champion relics, which could have been a bat, jersey, Paul O'Neill or Roberto Alomar's pants or if you were one of the lucky 50, Rickey Henderson's spikes

The Red Sox base cards available are:

#1 Pedro Martinez
#24 Nomar Garciaparra
#40 Manny Ramirez
#53 Hideo Nomo
#111 Juan Diaz FS SP
#114 Seung Song FS SP

I obtained 7 packs of the 2002 Relic Edition which contain 6 cards and have $2.99 printed on the front. Making them a little cheaper than the $5 1991 packs.

Pack 1:

#2 Chipper Jones Braves

#22 Mike Piazza Mets

#40 Craig Biggio Astros

#51 Ichiro Mariners

#71 Barry Bonds Giants

#96 Darin Erstad Angels

Pack 2:

#26 Juan Gonzalez Indians

#39 Carlos Lee White Sox

#59 Gary Sheffield Dodgers

#76 Jeromy Burnitz Brewers

#86 J.D.Drew Cardinals

#99 Mariano Rivera Yankees

Pack 3:

#11 Jim Edmonds Cardinals

#18 Jermaine Dye Athletics

#50 Andruw Jones Braves

#56 Omar Vizquel Indians

#87 Ryan Klesko Padres

#SS6 Ken Griffey Jnr

Pack 4:

#21 Carlos Delgado Blue Jays

#33 David Wells White Sox

#45 Dean Palmer Tigers

#66 Sammy Sosa Cubs

#74 Jason Kendall Pirates

#94 Placido Polanco Cardinals

Pack 5:

#46 Rafael Palmeiro Rangers

#63 Moises Alou Astros

#64 Sandy Alomar White Sox

#81 Edgardo Alfonzo Mets

#96 Brian Giles Pirates

#RT8 Manny Ramirez Red Sox

Pack 6:

#20 Randy Johnson D-backs

#22 Roger Clemens Yankees

#35 Miguel Tejada Athletics

#49 Troy Glaus Angels

#60 Curt Schilling D-backs

#100 Todd Helton Rockies

Pack 7:

#1 Pedro Martinez Red Sox

#7 Alex Rodriguez Rangers

#31 Ben Grieve Bay Rays

#34 Kevin Brown Dodgers

#55 Brad Penny Marlins

#69 Jason Giambi Athletics

With only six Red Sox to obtain, (four really the two prospects were short printed), pulling two Red Sox isn't great but not too bad - pity one of them wasn't a Nomar. I was surprised that the packs containing inserts still had six cards. The inserts were at least 2 cards thick, which made the packs noticeably thicker. Must have been a pack searchers dream.

2011 Gypsy Queen

2011-11-03T15:18:00.000-07:00

There are 300 cards plus 50 short print in the Gypsy Queen base set. There are also bronze variations of the base cards.
The parallels include mini cards which come in black bordered, sepia, leather and a mini variation.
The inserts include: The Great Ones, Home Run Heroes and Future Stars.
Autographs, Dual and Triple autographs, relics and mini relics are also possible.

The Red Sox consist of:
#5 Tris Speaker
#19 Jon Lester
#26 Adrian Gonzalez
#32 Carl Crawford
#57 David Ortiz
#63 Jimmie Foxx
#69 Kevin Youkilis
#73 Carl Yastrzemski
#164 Cy Young
#181 Lars Anderson
#200 John Lackey
#228 Ryan Kalish
#248 Dustin Pedroia
#249 Jacoby Ellsbury
#261 Daniel Bard
#262 Marco Scutaro
#284 Jed Lowrie
#309 Clay Buchholz SP
#338 Babe Ruth SP
#344 Josh Beckett SP
There are 6 cards per pack. As of yet I haven't opened any Gypsy Queen, so thank you to Dayf for making this possible.

The Pack:

#7 Jim Palmer Orioles

#62 Red Schoendienst Cardinals

#117 Dallas Braden Athletics

#274 Jose Tabata Pirates

#342 Placido Polanco Philles mini

#HH16 Andre Dawson Cubs

No Red Sox, however the 2nd pack sent by Dayf was full of Red Sox. It doesn't seem fair to include it in this pursuit of Red Sox from unopened packs.

2008 Upper Deck Series 2 rack pack

2011-10-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

A great deal was said at the time of its unveiling in 2008 but the photography was a big plus on this set. It outweighed Topps big time for effort however it still didn't stop the demise of Upper Deck a short while later. The photography is certainly crisp and clear, all cards appear to be action shots and, the entire front of the card is taken up with photo. I think they refer to it as full bleed. Great work from Upper Deck. This set was definitely better than some of the others Upper Deck offered in the same year, X, Heroes, Documentary or Timeline and cannot be compared to Goudey or Masterpieces as they were aimed at different sort of collector.

There was a whopping 799 cards in this set, of which 32 are the Red Sox. They are:
221 Tim Wakefield
222 Daisuke Matsuzaka

223 Julian Tavarez

224 Hideki Okajima

225 Manny Delcarmen

226 Doug Mirabelli

227 Dustin Pedroia

228 Mike Lowell

229 Manny Ramirez

230 Coco Crisp

309 Clay Buchholz RC

373 David Ortiz CL

384 Clay Buchholz HL

429 Josh Beckett

430 Jon Lester

431 Curt Schilling

432 Jonathan Papelbon

433 Jason Varitek

434 David Ortiz

435 Jacoby Ellsbury

436 Julio Lugo

437 Sean Casey

438 Kevin Youkilis

439 J.D. Drew

440 Alex Cora

736 Dustin Pedroia SH

744 Josh Beckett SH

745 Kevin Youkilis SH

747 Mike Lowell SH

773 Josh Beckett CL

786 David Ortiz SH

795 Josh Beckett SH

The rack pack Big B sent my way contains 36 cards, which includes 2 Diamond Collection exclusives.
The pack:
#405 Justin Upton D-backs (x2)
#424 Braian Roberts Orioles
#432 Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox
#448 Ronny Cedeno Cubs (x2)
#462 Carlos Quentin White Sox
#495 Ivan Rodriguez Tigers
#505 Mark Hendrickson Marlins
#508 Cody Ross Marlins
#517 Geoff Blum Astros
#527 Alex Gordon Royals
#535 John Lackey Angels
#547 Jonathan Broxton Dodgers
#555 Eric Gagne Brewers
#567 Craig Monroe Twins
#584 Ramon Castro Mets
#586 Mariano Rivera Yankees
#592 Shelley Duncan Yankees
#615 Matt Morris Pirates
#628 Khalil Greene Padres
#632 Micael Barrett Padres
#638 Randy Winn Giants
#648 Mike Morse Mariners
#707 Johnny Cueto Reds
#709 Scott Kazmir Bay Rays SH
#728 Wesley Wright Astros
#735 Derrek Lee Cubs SH
#748 Ryan Braun Brewers SH
#763 Indians checklist
#769 Padres checklist
#777 Tigers checklist
#789 Jimmy Rollins Phillies SH
#4456 Reggie Jackson YSL
#DC-10 James Shileds Bay Rays
#DC-11 Jarrod Saltalamacchia Rangers
A solo Red SoxThanks for those two packs Big B. I was beginning to forget how good it feels to open packs.

1989 Topps Big baseball cards 1st series

2011-10-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

The Topps BIG baseball set is based very loosely on the 1956 Topps set. They are the same size and orientated landscape as were the '56 set. So could this be considered as a retro set?

Just like its 1988 counterpart it was released in 3 separate series. The 1988 released in 3 sets of 88 cards, however the 1989 set was much bigger and released in 3 sets of 110 cards. Series 1 being cards #1-110, series 2 cards #111-220 and the series 3 cards #221-330.

The packs contained 7 cards and were wrapped in cellophane.

The Red Sox available from this set were:

Series 1

#18 Jim Rice

#42 Roger Clemens

#72 Rich Gedman

#97 Jody Reed

Series 2

#119 Rick Cerone

#142 Carlos Quintana

#169 Dennis Lamp

#193 Dwight Evans

#211 Mike Greenwell

Series 3

#222 Mike Smithson

#241 Wade Boggs

#259 Ellis Burks

#278 Marty Barrett

#296 Mike Boddicker

#316 Nick Esasky

This particular pack came from Big B at Waxaholic and contained:

#24 Carlton Fisk White Sox

#42 Roger Clemens Red Sox

#84 Fred Manrique White Sox

#90 Les Starker Twins

#93 Tino Martinez Mariners

#97 Jody Reed Red Sox

#106 Sid Bream Pirates

Wow 2 out of the possible 4 Red Sox in series 1, that is great odds.

2008 TriStar Projections

2011-08-26T02:32:00.000-07:00

I will be very honest and say I know very little about Minor League baseball, except to say it appears very organised structure with teams affiliated to a Major League outfit. So when I purchased these packs from e-bay (quite a while ago now) I need to conduct some research, as every good author should before proceeding with my review. I have four packs to analyse to see whether, in the three years since these cards came out, if any of these players made the show and secondly, as the name of the blog suggests, whether any of the minor league players are part of the Red Sox affiliation.

My first observation is that there are some brilliant Minor League club names. I know people have chuckled at English Football team names and nicknames, they are nothing in comparison to Minor League monikers. My favourite from this pack being the High Desert Mavericks. Top Gun and Shane connotations aside, these guys are not just any old mavericks. Not low desert but high desert mavericks. I would love to collect a particular club on the merits of the name alone.

#2 Kelvin DeLeon DSL Yankees

At this point in his career he was palying for the Dominican Summer League and given a $1.1 million signing bonus. He must be some player. Currently he is playing for the A team (A league?, A divison?) Charleston River Dogs, in the Yankees organisation. The RiverDogs are advertising a Festival of Beer. You have go to love these Minor League clubs.

# 190 Max Sapp Lexington Legends Houston Astros A

Unfortunately Max contracted meningitis in 2008. He has not played since then and was released by the Astros just this year.

#181 Chris Tillman High Desert Mavericks Seattle Mariners Adv.A

Chris was traded to the Orioles in 2008 and made his MLB debut for the Orioles on the 29th July 2009 vs Kansas City Royals.

#24 Tommy Hanson Rome Braves Atlanta Braves A

Finally a name I recognise. Made his MLB debut for the Braves on the 7th June 2009 vs Milwaukee Brewers.

#162 Justin Jackson GCL Blue Jays Rookie Blue Jays

Justin is currently playing for Dunedin Blue Jays A+.

#142 Hector Correa Jameston Jammers Florida Marlins SS

Acquired by San Francisco Giants from Florida in exchange for Ronny Paulino on March 27, 2009. Currently playing for the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels. I wonder if Bullwinkle is a mascot?

# 109 Danny Rams GCL Twins Rookie Minnesota Twins

Still with the Twins affiliation and currently playing with A+ Fort Myers Miracle

#189 John Mayberry Jr. Frisco Roughriders AA Texas Rangers.

Another fantastic club name 'roughriders'. John Jr.was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in Nov 2008 for Greg Goulson and made his MLB debut on the 23rd May 2009 vs Yankees. His father John Mayberry Snr. was a first basebman for the Astros, Royals, Blue Jays and Yankees between 1968 and 1982.

So out of a pack of 8 prospects, 3 have advanced to a MLB debut, 4 are still playing Minor league ball and 1 has left baseball altogether because of ill health. That sounds like a pretty good ratio, however I don't know the percentage of Minor League players that advance further than AAA.

2011 Topps Baseball Series 1

2011-08-21T03:35:00.000-07:00

Three more packs of 2011 Topps Series One from Play at the Plate.

I only need 1 Red Sox from Series One:

#218 Victor Martinez.

Plus there is a stupid idea of collecting all the Kimball Champion inserts as well.

Pack 1:

#15 David Wright Mets

#64 Yorvit Torrealba Padres

#90 Yadier Molina Cardinals

#103 Cliff Lee Rangers

#171 Garrett Jones Pirates

#234 Miguel Montero D-backs

#273 Derrek Lee Braves

#296 John Buck Blue Jays

#328 David Price Bay Rays

#60YOTLC-5 Stan Musial Cardinals

#KC12 Torii Hunter Angels

#TT-9 Adam Jones Orioles

Pack 2:

#30 Gio Gonzalez Athletics

#31 Erick Aybar Angels

#51 David Eckstein Padres

#68 Cleveland Indians diamond sparkle ballroom dancing

#97 Carlos Gomez Brewers

#132 Brian Buensing Twins

#228 Scott Rolen Reds

#244 Mike Aviles Royals

#302 Adrian Beltre Red Sox

#330 Derek Jeter Yankees

#CMGR-6 Christy Mathewson 1911 T205

TT-34 Felix Hernandez Mariners

Pack 3:

#31 Erick Aybar Angels

#58 Edgar Renteria Giants

#66 R.A.Dickey Mets

#88 Brian Bogusevic Astros

#106 Felix Pie Orioles

#109 League Leaders

#256 Tyler Colvin Cubs

#302 Adrian Beltre Red Sox

#330 Derek Jeter Yankees

#T60-6 Robinson Cano Yankees

#TDG-10 Tim Lincecum Giants

#TT-39 Adrian Gonzalez Padres

So two Red Sox but the same card Adrian Beltre (two Jeter's and two Aybar's). But at least another Kimball.

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces

2011-08-20T05:15:00.000-07:00

Here is another solitary pack. This time from Waxaholic. It doesn't seem like 4 years since this original 2007 Masterpieces hit the shelves. I loved the 2007 set so much that I decided to collect the entire base set. Its design was classy, the autographs were right there on the actual card and there was the quirkiness of cards like Curt's bloody sock, Ty Cobbs karate kick and Ozzie Smith's backflip. I had resigned myself to collecting 2008 as well, but by the time it arrived the magic had left. It was too similar. Yes I understand that may be too picky, what else could it be? Masterpieces was meant to look like it was painted on canvas hence the name. Even Jonathan Papelbon's victory roar couldn't save it. Maybe it was the inclusion of Yankee Stadium Legacy cards that tainted this and other Upper Deck sets.

The pack:

#24 Adam Dunn Reds

#38 Lance Berkman Astros

#48 Ryan Braun Brewers

#69 Chase Utley Phillies

#YSL1288 Joe DiMaggio

See tainted. No Red Sox and a YSL.

Just imagine if there wasn't 4 Masterpieces card but 3 and the 4th card was a YSL. Luckily it is included as an extra.

1989 Topps baseball

2011-08-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

This pack was included amongst some cards that I purchased from e-bay recently. I have a sneaking suspicion that you rarely find these wax packs unopened.
The 1989 Topps set was full of rookies, the one notable being Randy Johnson, but in a time where the market was flooded with cards most collectors have either: collected all the 1989 Topps they wish to own or have no interest in collecting all the 1989 Topps.
There are also some error cards which draw some attention but besides that it is not one of Topps stellar sets.
I need no more of the 33 Red Sox from this set, although still need the 5 Topps traded Red Sox.

T26 John Dopson,
T29 Nick Esasky,
T64 Randy Kutcher,
T86 Rob Murphy,
T105 Ed Romero

The pack:
#12 Dale Sveum Brewers
#124 Jim Traber Orioles
#256 Benny Santiago Padres
#310 Rafael Palmeiro Cubs
#315 Greg Swindell Indians
#388 NL Leaders RBI
#393 NL Leaders game winning RBI
#400 AL Leaders batting avg
#412 Barry Lyons Mets
#414 Jim Fregosi White Sox
#428 Craig Reynolds Astros
#588 Luis Alicea Cardinals
#606 Rick Dempsey Dodgers
#704 Carlos Quintana Red Sox
#760 Lee Smith Red Sox

Would you believe it, two Red Sox!

2011 Topps Attax Baseball

2011-08-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

The big child in me likes Topps Attax. I have never attempted to play the game in any of the multiple variations available -Football, Star Wars, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Heroes, Wrestling. However the baseball variation looks the most complicated. Is it that complicated? The soccer version has only attack and defence numbers, there appears to many different possibilties on the baseball version. There are 258 cards in the base set which includes 25 mascots and 27 stadiums( which begs the question which mascot is missing?)
Anyway. I was sent a lonely pack of the 2011 Baseball version recently. It was purchased from 'The Dollar Store'. Without a shadow of a doubt, I am sure the Dollar Store would become my favourite place. Ever.
No Red Sox so far from this set, so any would be nice...please.

The pack

#41 Carlos Pena Cubs

#84 Francisco Liriano Twins

#124 Josh Hamilton Rangers

#139 Logan Morrion Marlins

#197 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies

#236 Citi Field

Did you know- Citi Field is the only MLB ballpark with foul poles that
are not yellow...instead they are painted orange.

It appears that the cards have a diamond rating with stars. Meaning common, rare, ultra rare? I am guessing, so you may need the starter set to work this one out.

2011 Topps Opening Day

2011-08-02T04:39:00.000-07:00

The final selection of packs from the Alley family are these not so popular 'Opening Day'. Six packs to 'Share and Enjoy'.There is still but one Red Sox card that alludes me-

#29 Jonathan Papelbon
No fear, my luck with these packs is sure to change.

Pack 1:
#42 Gege Halman Mariners
#52 Placido Polanco Phillies
#115 Starlin Castro Cubs
#160 Carlos Lee Astros
#173 Joakim Soria Royals
#181 Josh Beckett Red Sox
#SC-23 Ryan Braun Brewers

Pack 2:
#9 Michael Cuddyer Twins
#64 Miguel Tejada Giants
#82 Brennan Boesch Tigers
#87 Brandon Morrow Blue Jays
#121 John Banks White Sox
#131 Chris Carpenter Cardinals
#TTOD-1 Clayton Kershaw

Pack 3:
#15 David Price Bay Rays
#32 James McDonald Pirates
#37 Tim Hudson Braves
#77 Koji Uehara Orioles
#86 Stephen Strasburg Nationals
#197 Kelly Johnson D-backs
#2/10 Spot the Error Jason Heyward

Pack 4:
#79 Heath Bell Padres
#81 Jay Bruce Reds
#104 Victor Martinez Tigers
#127 Nick Swisher Yankees
#135 David Ortiz Red Sox
#203 Neftali Feliz Rangers
#M-7 Slider ?????

Pack 5:
#28 Edinson Volquez Reds
#47 Phil Hughes Yankees
#80 Jeremy Hellickson Bay Rays
#94 Jimmy Rollins Phillies
#189 B.J.Upton Bay Rays
#208 Matt Kemp Dodgers
#SC-2 Buster Posey Giants

Pack 6:
#14 Ben Zorbist Bay Rays
#17 Ryan Dempster Cubs
#24 Andrew Cashner Cubs
#36 Daniel Descalso Cardinals
#93 Aaron Hill Blue Jays
#100 Miguel Cabrerea Tigers
#4/10 Spot the Error Chase Utley
Can you spot it?

Two Red Sox from six packs-considering the past pack breaks, this is a fair outing.

2011 Topps Baseball Series Two

2011-08-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Another five packs from the Alley Family, this time the Series 2 variation. I need only two Red Sox from the Series 2. Looking for a better showing than the seven packs of Topps Series 1, which produced 'zero' Red Sox cards. The two cards I need are:
#480 Dustin Pedroia
#610 Josh Beckett

Pack 1:
#342 Jorge De La Rosa Rockies
#359 Checklist 2/5
#370 Matt Garza Cubs
#424 New York Yankees
#430 Trevor Crowe Indians
#502 Jeff Baker Cubs
#508 Homer Bailey Reds
#537 Jake Peavy White Sox
#553 Kyle Lohse Cardinals gold border 1662/2011
#584 Jason Bartlett Padres
#BTT3 American Tobacco T201
#T60-92 Alfonso Soriano Cubs

Pack 2:
#342 Jorge De La Rosa Rockies
359 Checklist 2/5
#424 New York Yankees
#430 Trevor Crowe Indians
#432 Matt Harrison Rangers
#474 Jeff Mathis Angels
#475 Phil Hughes Yankees
#537 Jake Peavy White Sox
#561 Luke Gregerson Padres
#578 Willy Aybar Bay Rays
#60YOT-114 Hanley Ramirez Marlins
#RDT23 Adam Dunn White Sox

Pack 3:
#334 St. Louis Cardinals
#374 Washington Nationals
#377 Esmil Rogers Rockies
#505 Tommy Hanson Braves
#541 John Jaso Bay Rays DP
#594 Jose Valverde Tigers
#605 Brandon Belt Giants
#633 Aaron Crow Royals
#634 Mitch Moreland Rangers
#649 Joba Chamberlain Yankees
#KG57 Tom Seaver Mets
#TT2-3 Cliff Lee Phillies

Pack 4:
#336 Chris Heisey Reds
#389 Carlos Quentin White Sox
#451 Livan Hernandez Nationals
#459 Frank Francisco Blue Jays
#465 Yovani Gallardo Brewers
#471 Tim Collins Royals
#506 Aneury Rodriguez Astros
#514 Kelly Shoppach Bay Rays
#538 Jason Motte Cardinals
#625 Ruben Tejada Mets
#60YOT-61 Warren Spahn Braves
#T60-79 Rickey Henderson Athletics
Pack 5:
#369 Wilson Betemit Royals
#375 Matt Kemp Dodgers
#443 Brian Roberts Orioles
#455 Logan Morrison Marlins
#464 Daniel Bard Red Sox
#478 Mike Minor Braves
#543 Texas Rangers
#547 Checklist 2/5
#567 Dallas Braden Athletics
#615 Shaun Marcum Brewers
#DD-27 Johnson/Verlander Marlins/Braves
#TT2-10 Justin Upton D-backs
Five packs 1 Red Sox- Seriously?

2011 Topps Series 1

2011-07-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Some more packs from the Alley Family. Seven 2011 Topps Series 1, 12 cards per pack and another chance to pick-up some Kimball Champions and wipe those last two Red Sox I need from Series 1.
#123 Mike Lowell
#218 Victor Martinez

Pack 1:

#69 Brett Gardner Yankees

#81 Omar Infante Braves

#100 Albert Pujols Cardinals

#145 Freddie Freeman Braves

#182 Jeremy Bonderman Tigers

#213 Brandon Snyder Orioles

#224 Milton Bradley Mariners

#279 Nick Swisher Yankees

#303 Emilio Bonifacio Marlins PD

#316 Chris Young D-backs

#CMGR-1 Babe Ruth Orioles

#TT-44 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies

Pack 2:

#58 Edgar Renteria Giants

#59 Gaby Sanchez Marlins

#87 Daniel Descalso Cardinals

#130 Robinson Cano Yankees

#136 Jason Marquis Nationals

#150 Miguel Cabrera Tigers

#170 David DeJesus Royals

#209 Carlos Santana Indians

#256 Tyler Colvin Cubs

#TDG-1 Mickey Mantle

#TT-12 Mat Latos Padres

#T60-38 Ryan Braun Brewers

Pack 3:
#45 Hunter Pence Astros
#66 R.A.Dickey Mets
#80 Desmond Jennings Bay Rays
#88 Brian Bogusevic Astros
#163 Carlos Pena Bay Rays
#172 Lyle Overbay Blue Jays
#206 Chase Headley Padres
#275 Clayon Kershaw Dodgers
#301 Seth Smith Rockies
#60YOTLC-5 Stan Musial Cardinals
#DD-HF Hayward/Freeman Braves
#TT-23 Evan Longoria Bay Rays

Pack 4:
#121 Brandon Inge Tigers
#129 Lucas Duda Mets
#131 Kevin Kouzmanoff Athletics
#145 Freddie Freeman Braves
#174 Roy Oswalt Phillies
#261 Alexei Ramirez White Sox
#270 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
#279 Nick Swisher Yankees
#305 James Loney Dodgers
#KG30 David Wright Mets
#TDG-7 Derek Jeter
#TT-46 Joey Votto Reds

Pack 5:
#35 Shin-Soo Choo Indians
#39 Ian Kennedy D-backs
#83 Greg Halman Mariners
#121 Brandon Inge Tigers
#197 Aaron Hill Blue Jays
#199 Jimmy Rollins Phillies
#260 Freddy Sanchez Giants
#270 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
#318 Home Run League Leaders
#T60-45 Hanley Ramirez Marlins
#TDG-5 Derek Jeter
#TT-13 Chase Utley Phillies

Pack 6:
#35 Shin-Soo Choo Indians
#121 Brandon Inge Tigers
#131 Kevin Kouzmanoff Athletics
#146 Roy Halladay Phillies
#174 Roy Oswalt Phillies
#270 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
#292 Darren Ford Giants
#305 James Loney Dodgers
#319 Atlanta Braves
#RDT1 Babe Ruth Yankees
#T60-28 Billy Butler Royals
#TT-49 CC Sabathia Yankees

Pack 7:
#1 Ryan Braun Brewers
#7 Mickey Mantle Yankees
#21 Michael Cuddyer Twins
#23 Jaime Garcia Cardinals
#37 Vicente Padilla Dodgers
#44 Martin Prado Braves
#91 Luicas May Royals
#118 Howie Kendrick Angels
#155 checklist 3/5
#299 Chris Carpenter Cardinals
#CMGR-27 Ty Cobb
#TT-36 Robinson Cano Yankees

Seriously, two Babe Ruth's, two Mickey Mantle's, THREE Brandon Inge's, but not one single Red Sox. That just sucks.
On the plus side, a Kimball Champion. Oh joy.

2011 Bowman Jumbo

2011-07-28T13:33:00.001-07:00

In the past these Jumbo packs have thrown in a few surprises and the following 2011 Bowman Jumbo is no exception. There is also the slim (very slim) possibility of a Bryce Harper card. This jumbo came through the Alley family, who recently bequeathed some more 2011 packs. A very generous bunch the Alleys from North Carolina.

I have yet to obtain a base card from the Red Sox , I have one a blue bordered Dustin Pedroia, so I still need:

#26 Dustin Pedroia
#46 Jon Lester
#87 Adrian Gonzalez
#92 Josh Beckett
#119 David Ortiz
#126 Jacoby Ellsbury
#129 Carl Crawford
#130 Clay Buchholz
#186 Kevin Youkilis
#192 Lars Anderson RC

Enclosed within:
#13 Matt Kemp Dodgers
#24 Mike Pelfrey Mets
#41 Shin-Soo Choo Indians
#97 Mitch Moreland Rangers
#99 Roy Halladay Phillies green border 045/450
#113 Billy Butler Royals
#144 Yovani Gallardo Brewers
#150 Michael Cuddyer Twins
#159 Michael Young Rangers
#170 Alex Rodriguez Yankees
#194 Konrad Schmidt D-backs gold border
#BP49 Phillip Cerreto Cardinals
#BP57 Angel Castillo Angels
#BP58 Adrian Salcedo Twins
#BP109 Darin Mastroianni Blue Jays
#BP110 Jonathan Villar Astros blue border 434/500
#BCP29 Johermyn Chavez Mariners
#BCP50 Mychal Givens Orioles
#BCP71 Evan Crawford Cubs
#BCP78 Cole Figueroa Bay Rays
checklist 4/4

So the surprise...no Red Sox but two numbered cards.

2011 Kimball Champions

2011-07-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

2011 Topps Kimball Champions Insert
The 'Kimball Champions' insert set consists of 100 mini sized cards. The set is produced in the style of the 1888 Kimball Champion cards, which featured stars from a wide range of 'sports'.
The first 50 cards (#1-#50) are inserted in 2011 Topps series 1 packs ,the next 50 cards (#51-#100) are inserted in 2011 Topps Series 2 packs and a final 50 cards(#101-#150) are inserted in 2011 Topps Update packs.

My aim is collect the whole 150 card mini set. I still need 94 more:
TOPPS SERIES 1

KC-3 Carlos Santana
KC-4 Johan Santana
KC-7 Mickey Mantle

KC-8 Ryan Braun
KC-10 Ichiro
KC-14 Clayton Kershaw
KC-16 Aroldis Chapman
KC-20 Roy Halladay

KC-21 Shin-Soo Choo
KC-23 Mat Latos

KC-26 Justin Morneau
KC-27 Nick Markakis
KC-29 Jered Weaver
KC-31 Nelson Cruz

KC-34 Joey Votto

KC-35 Jon Lester

KC-41 Pablo Sandoval

KC-42 Mariano Rivera

KC-44 Hunter Pence

KC-45 David Ortiz

KC-47 Brett Anderson

KC-49 Jose Bautista

KC-50 Miguel Cabrera
TOPPS SERIES 2
KC-51 Hank Aaron
KC-52 Sandy Koufax
KC-53 Carlton Fisk
KC-54 Nolan Ryan
KC-55 Stan Musial
KC-56 Steve Carlton
KC-59 Tony Gwynn

KC-60 Johnny Bench
KC-62 Luis Aparicio
KC-64 Jackie Robinson
KC-65 Bob Gibson
KC-66 Yogi Berra
KC-68 Reggie Jackson
KC-70 Roy Campanella
KC-71 Brooks Robinson
KC-72 Ernie Banks
KC-73 Phil Rizzuto
KC-75 Bob Feller
KC-76 Lou Brock
KC-78 Eddie Mathews
KC-80 Roger Maris
KC-81 Craig Biggio
KC-82 Mike Schmidt
KC-83 Don Mattingly
KC-84 Ryne Sandberg
KC-87 Andre Dawson
KC-88 Jim Palmer
KC-90 Hank Greenberg
KC-91 Dale Murphy
KC-95 Lou Gehrig
KC-96 Cal Ripkin
KC-97 Paul Molitor
KC-98 Gary Carter
KC-99 Ty Cobb
KC-100 Babe Ruth
TOPPS UPDATE:
KC-101 Babe Ruth
KC-102 Willie McCovey
KC-103 Zach Britton
KC-105 Honus Wagner
KC-107 Dan Uggla
KC-108 Lance Berkman
KC-109 Trevor Cahill
KC-110 Hank Aaron
KC-112 Cole Hamels
KC-113 Alex Rodriguez
KC-114 Felix Hernandez
KC-115 Ty Cobb
KC-116 Johnny Mize
KC-118 Cliff Lee
KC-119 Matt Holliday
KC-120 Frank Robinson
KC-121 Luis Aparicio
KC-122 Christy Mathewson
KC-123 Bert Blyleven
KC-124 Frank Thomas
KC-125 Nolan Ryan
KC-126 Danny Duffy
KC-127 Justin Verlander
KC-128 Carlton Fisk
KC-129 George Sisler
KC-130 Adrian Gonzalez
KC-131 Adam Dunn
KC-132 Tom Seaver
KC-133 Ozzie Smith
KC-135 Carl Crawford
KC-136 Paul Molitor
KC-137 Joe Morgan
KC-138 Rogers Hornsby
KC-139 James Shields
KC-140 Michael Pineda
KC-141 Andre Dawson
KC-142 Ryan Howard
KC-143 Kyle Drabek
KC-144 Reggie Jackson
KC-146 Vladimir Guerrero
KC-147 Mark Teixeira
KC-148 Jose Reyes
KC-149 Cy Young
KC-150 Joe DiMaggio

2011 Red Sox wants list

2011-07-27T07:38:00.000-07:00

2011 Red Sox Wants list
Allen and Ginter
#50 Carl Crawford
#120 Adrian Gonzalez
#182 Clay Buchholz
#208 Marco Scutaro
HH21 Jon Lester
HH23 Dustin Pedroia
HH46 Jacoby Ellsbury
HH51 Josh Beckett
HH65 Adrian Gonzalez
HH75 Carl Crawford
HH86 Kevin Youkilis
HH98 Clay Buchholz

Bowman
186 Kevin Youkilis
Bowman Platinum
16 Carl Crawford
66 Dustin Pedroia
85 Jacoby Ellsbury

Finest
#10 Adrian Gonzalez
#43 David Ortiz
#51 Jon Lester
#53 Kevin Youkilis

Topps
complete

Topps Attax
#7 Adrian Gonzalez
#55 Clay Buchholz
#66 David Ortiz
#102 Jacoby Ellsbury
#116 Jon Lester
#117 Jonathan Papelbon
#134 Kevin Youkilis
#230 Wally the Green Monster
#240 Fenway Park SP Stadium

Topps Chrome
#3 Carl Crawford
#25 Adrian Gonzalez
#34 Josh Beckett
#49 Jonathan Papelbon
#55 Jon Lester
#90 Kevin Youkilis
#116 Clay Buchholz
#124 Jacoby Ellsbury
#161 Dustin Pedroia

Gypsy Queen
#5 Tris Speaker
#19 Jon Lester
#32 Carl Crawford
#57 David Ortiz
#69 Kevin Youkilis
#73 Carl Yastrzemski
#164 Cy Young
#181 Lars Anderson
#228 Ryan Kalish
#249 Jacoby Ellsbury
#261 Daniel Bard
#284 Jed Lowrie
#309 Clay Buchholz SP
#338 Babe Ruth SP
#344 Josh Beckett SP

Topps Heritage
#81 Jason Varitek
#161 Bobby Jenks
#201 Josh Beckett
#225 Adrian Beltre
#300 Carl Crawford
#306 Red Sox Rippers
#345 Dustin Pedroia
#437 Adrian Gonzalez (SP)
Topps Lineage
#32 Jon Lester
#48 Carlton Fisk
#87 David Ortiz
#90 Tris Speaker
#92 Clay Buchholz

Topps Opening Day
complete

Topps Tribute
#2 Cy Young
#65 Bobby Doerr
#67 David Ortiz
#72 Josh Beckett
#83 Jon Lester

Topps Update
US126 Adrian Gonzalez
US278 Jacoby Ellsbury
US296 Bobby Jenks

Upper Deck Goodwin Champions
56 Jim Rice
146 Carlton Fisk
178 Dennis Oil Can Boyd SP
184 Dan Brouthers SP

2011 Topps Opening Day

2011-05-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Topps Opening Day card sets are like Marmite. you either like it or hate it.(For those unfamiliar with Marmite, it is a thick, black, runny yeast based product that you spread on toast, have in sandwiches or use a dip). There doesn't appear to be any middle ground., possibly because there is little or no chance of pulling a 'hit' from the packs. My interested is based on the inclusion of a Jacoby Ellsbury card.
There are 220 base cards, blue border parallel of the base cards and a number of interesting inserts. I have a blaster, containing 11 packs, that was given to me by the head of my school- purchased from Target.

Pack 1:
#1 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
#81 Jay Bruce Reds
#104 Victor Martinez Tigers
#174 Buster Posey Giants
#187 Brandon Phillips Reds
#205 Carlos Quentin White Sox
#PFP Barack Obama

Pack 2:
#43 Jered Weaver Angels
#87 Zack Greinke Brewers
#120 Roy Halladay Phillies
#140 Derek Jeter Yankees
#153 Kendry Morales Angels
#190 Elvis Andrus Rangers
#TTOD9 Jered Weaver Angels

Pack 3:
#3 Jon Lester Red Sox
#84 Brian Matusz Orioles
#92 Nick Markakis Orioles
#137 Joel Pineiro Angels
#169 Felix Hernandez Mariners
#211 Ricky Nolasco Marlins
#PFP4 Ronald Reagan

Pack 4:
#56 Brain Bogusevic Astros
#114 Ervin Santana Angels
#129 Ike Davis Mets
#129 Ike Davis Mets blue border 1686/2011
#157 Adam Lind Blue jays
#162 Gordon Beckham White Sox
1/10 Mark Teixeira Spot the Error

Pack 5:
#11 Jaime Garcia Cardinals
#90 Chase Utley Phillies
#192 Dustin Pedroia Red Sox
#197 Kelly Johnson D-backs
#217 Andy Pettitte Yankees
#TTOD4 Jose Batista Blue Jays
#UL1 Joe Mauer Twins

Pack 6:
#21 Martin Prado Braves
#41 Aubrey Huff Giants
#98 Angel Pagan Mets
#165 Carlos Zambrano Cubs
#171 Yovani Gallardo Brewers
#182 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies
#SC22 Cliff Lee Rangers

Pack 7:
#54 Ian Stewart Rockies
#70 Freddie Freeman Braves
#126 Brian Duensing Twins
#154 Dan Harden Angels
#216 Jose Reyes Mets
#M18 Pirate Parrot !!!!
#ODS3 Alex Rodriguez Yankees
Pack 8:
#27 Andrew McCutchen Pirates
#45 Desmond Jennings Bay Rays
#103 Jose Bautista Blue Jays
#119 Alexei Ramirez White Sox
#163 Chad Billingsley Dodgers
#204 Carlos Beltran Mets
#SC6 Evan Longoria Bay Rays

Pack 9:
#46 Yadier Molina Cardinals
#91 Andres Torres Giants
#119 Alexei Ramirez White Sox blue border 1416/2011
#143 Jeremy Guthrie Orioles
#148 Kevin Youkilis Red Sox
#220 Alfonso Soriano Cubs
7/10 David Wright Spot the Error
Pack 10:
#13 Carl Crawford Red Sox
#35 Vladimir Guerrero Rangers
#92 Nick Markakis Orioles
#180 Colby Rasmus Cardinals
#188 Justin Verlander Tigers
#198 Adrian Gonzalez Red Sox
#SC14 David Wright Mets
Pack 11:
#64 Miguel Tejada Giants
#67 Johnny Cueto Reds
#78 Garrett Jones Pirates
#141 Brent Morel White Sox
#149 Tommy Hansen Braves
#183 Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox
#M9 Paws
A late showing from the Red Sox. Two Red Sox newcomers in the second to last pack and a Jacoby Ellsbury, only the second time I have pulled him from a pack.
Overall 6 Red Sox, so not too bad.
For the record- I hate Marmite. Much prefer Vegemite, the Australian equivalent.

2008 Upper Deck Timeline

2011-05-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

The head of my school has visited the USA again. I wasn't specific this time around about cards that I would like, although I did say anything with Allen+Ginter written on it would be fine. She was unable to find any A+G, but made some super choices. Purchased from a Dollar-Tree in a Florida Mall (would I love to spend a few hours looking around one of these places!) were 8 packs of 2008 Upper Deck Timelines. There was an interesting insert in the Timeline series, which were printed in the style of the 1994 UD All-Time Heroes. I made a half-hearted attempt to collect this black and white set, after picking up a large number on e-bay. It is a nice looking set, so I may go back to it.
There are a large number of Red Sox available in this set, plenty of rookies (6 Clay Buchholz's)and frustratingly, many short prints. They are:
#15 Jason Bay
#30 David Ortiz
#32 Daisuke Matsuzaka
#53 Clay Buchholz (RC)
#66 Jed Lowrie (RC)
#67 Justin Masterson RC
#72 Jonathan Van Every RC
#120 Jonathan Van Every 92 ML RC
#136 David Ortiz 94 ATH
#144 Josh Beckett 94 ATH
#168 Daisuke Matsuzaka 94 ATH
#176 Clay Buchholz 94 ATH
#186 Chris Smith 95 STP (RC)
#222 Jacoby Ellsbury 04 TT
#223 David Ortiz 04 TT
#225 Daisuke Matsuzaka 04 TT
#226 Clay Buchholz 04 TT (RC)
#227 Jed Lowrie 04 TT (RC)
#228 Justin Masterson 04 TT RC
#288 Jason Bay 04 TT
#315 Clay Buchholz 93 SP (RC)
#335 Jed Lowrie 93 SP (RC)
#340 Clay Buchholz 94 SP (RC)
#346 Justin Masterson 94 SP (RC)
#365 Clay Buchholz 95 SP (RC)
#385 Jonathan Van Every 95 SP (RC)

Pack 1:
#26 Randy Johnson D-backs
#30 David Ortiz Red Sox
#35 Roy Halladay Blue Jays
#44 Frank Thomas Atletics
#105 Clay Timpner Giants
#244 Carlos Gomez Twins
Pack 2:
#10 Chase Utley Phillies
#28 Derek Jeter Yankees
#32 Daisuke Matsuzaka Red Sox
#46 Torii Hunter Angels
#115 Fred Lewis Giants
#283 Greg Smith Athletics
Pack 3:
#18 Ryan Braun Brewers
#45 Vladimir Guerrero Angels
#50 Erik Bedard Mariners
#122 Matt Joyce Tigers
#196 Joakim Soria Royals
#297 Erik Bedard Mariners

Pack 4:
#14 Derrik Lee Cubs
#15 Jason Bay Red Sox
#19 Prince Fielder Brewers
#33 B.J.Upton Bay Rays
#69 Mican Hoffpauir Cubs
#241 Travis Hafner Indians
Pack 5:
#1 Jose Reyes Mets
#17 Ken Griffey JR. White Sox
#37 Grady Sizemore Indians
#79 Josh Banks Padres
#135 Ryan Braun Brewers
#204 Rich Hill Cubs

Pack 6:
#12 Jimmy Rollins Phillies
#31 Manny Ramirez Dodgers
#48 Ichiro Mariners
#127 Rico Washington Cardinals
#170 Ryan Howard Phillies
#194 Jeff Keppinger Reds

Pack 7:
#8 Chipper Jones Braves
#11 Ryan Howard Phillies
#38 Travis Hafner Indians
#88 Burke Badenhop Marlins
#153 Hanley Ramirez Marlins
#6168 Andy Pettitte Yankee Stadium Legacy

Pack 8:
#3 Carlos Beltran Mets
#21 Tim Lincecum Giants
#29 Chien-Ming Wang Yankees
#39 C.C.Sabathia Brewers
#70 Jeff Niemann Bay Rays
#144 Josh Beckett Red Sox

Not bad for $8, plenty of Red Sox and 1994 All-time heroes reprints.
I would seriously love a 'Dollar-Tree' just down the road.

2011 Topps Series 1

2011-05-16T17:29:00.000-07:00

These packs came from the Alley family in North Carolina and I should have posted these weeks ago, but then I found that there were some Red Sox variations in the series 1 set and wanted to find out a little more.
Besides the 'Diamond Sparkle' parallel cards, there are two cards showing Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in the Red Sox uniform.
The #25 Carl Crawford comes in three variations:

#25A Carl Crawford in a Bay Rays uniform,
#25B Carl Crawford in a Red Sox uniform,
#25C Carl Yastrzemski (in a Red Sox uniform).

The Adrian Gonzalez card is #350, which makes it unique as the series 1 set is #to 330.
So what do these five packs bring forth...
Pack 1:
#93 Paul Konerko White Sox
#176 Daniel Hudson D-backs
#178 Heath Bell Padres
#207 Angel Pagan Mets
#250 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
#254 Lars Anderson Red Sox RC
#268 Jake McGee Bay Rays
#290 Ike Davis Mets
#327 Cristian Guzman Rangers
#HOT2 1951 trading cards
#RDT11 Roy Halladay Phillies
#TT29 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies

Pack 2:
#26 Neftali Feliz Rangers
#54 Brian Fuentes Twins
#80 Desmond Jennings Bay Rays
#197 Aaron Hill Blue Jays
#238 Pedron Ciriaco Pirates
#242 Brad Lidge Phillies
#260 Freddy Sanchez Giants
#305 James Loney Dodgers platinum diamond
#326 Ozzie Martinez Marlins
#60YOT52 Cliff Lee Indians
#TDG6 Roy Halliday Phillies
#TT16 Nick Markakis Orioles

Pack 3:
#37 Vicente Padilla Dodgers
#96 Zach Duke Pirates
#97 Carlos Gomez Brewers
#117 Brett Sinkbeil Marlins
#196 Jose Ceda Marlins
#215 Edwin Encarnacion Blue Jays
#228 Scott Rolen Reds
#264 Ryan Perry Tigers
#321 Jeremy Guthrie Orioles
#DDBW Berkman/Wallce
#KG22 Victor Martinez Red Sox
#TT46 Joey Votto Reds

Pack 4:
#3 Jon Lester Red Sox
#29 Josh Hamilton Rangers
#69 Brett Gardner Yankees
#84 Roger Bernadina Nationals
##182 Jeremy Bonderman Tigers
#210 Brian Wilson Giants
#214 Chase Utley Phillies
#239 Jhoulys Chacin Rockies
#298 Jeff Keppinger Astros
#60YOT56 Troy Tulowitzki Rockies
#T60-49 Josh Hamilton Rangers
#TT49 CC Sabathia Yankees

Pack 5:
#38 Ryan Dempster Cubs
#49 Angels
#166 Josh Johnson Marlins platinum diamond
#198 Buster Posey Giants
#224 Milton Bradley Mariners
#233 Ramon Hernandez Reds
#244 Mike Aviles Royals
#278 Marco Scutaro Red Sox
#311 James Shields Bay Rays
#60YOT7 Pee Wee Reese Dodgers original back
#RDT4 Josh Hamilton Rangers
#TT42 Kevin Youkilis Red Sox

So no diamond sparkles or short print Red Sox, but a good selection from 5 packs.The Platinum diamond cards are a little extreme but I really like the Kimball Champions set, I really am a sucker for the vintage look.

Red Sox Wants list 2006-2010

2011-04-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

Red Sox Wants list:
2006
Allen +Ginter 8/15
32, 104, 153, 154, 277, 284, 287
Bowman 5/9
76, 113, 155, 168
Bowman Heritage 7/11
148, 221, 253, 276
Fleer 6/14
169, 195, 250, 255, 297, 299, 302, 303, 305
Fleer Tradition 6/8
148, 153
Topps 20/21
451
Topps Heritage 9/19
1, 15, 125, 180, 282, 287, 320, 322, 371, 458
Topps Rookie '52 0/10
5, 21, 40, 70, 191, 214, 218, 294, 301, 303
Topps Turkey Red 6/13
330, 416, 430, 463, 519
Upper Deck 17/37
37, 69, 73, 74, 81, 84, 143, 144, 148, 452, 537, 538, 541, 543, 893, 909, 910
2007
Allen+Ginter 6/11
37, 107, 126, 161, 294
Bowman 9/11
65, 210
Bowman Heritage 10/11
37
Fleer 7/16
277, 280, 281, 284, 374, 404, 405
Goudey Green Backs 9/14
29, 67, 229, 235, 236
Goudey Red Backs 7/7
Complete
Topps 23/23
Complete
Topps Heritage 16/19
167, 312, 410
Topps Turkey Red 8/8
complete Topps Update 12/12
Complete
Upper Deck 26/37
348, 501, 574, 575, 579, 581, 585, 588

2008
A Piece of History
19, 106
Allen+Ginter
complete
Bowman
221
Bowman Chrome
47, 85, 117, 193, 210
Finest
52, 76, 160
Goudey
205, 256, 271, 303
Heroes
31
Masterpieces
21, 65
SP Authentic
complete
Spectrum
complete
Sweet Spot
complete
Topps
complete
Topps Chrome
complete
Topps Heritage
327, 389, 409, 474, 486, 498
Topps Opening Day
12
Topps Update
complete
Upper Deck
complete
Upper Deck First Edition
183, 190, 259
UD Timeline
108, 176, 223, 288, 315, 335, 340, 346, 365
UD X
complete

2009
Allen+Ginter
complete
Bowman
complete
Bowman Chrome
20, 22, 38, 49, 56, 69, 89, 115, 174, 188, 194, 205
Finest
complete
O-Pee-Chee
34, 150, 370, 392, 502
Legendary Cuts
138, 140, 142, 145
SPx
5, 56, 63, 65
Topps
complete
Topps 206
complete
Topps Chrome
complete
Topps Attax
Beckett, Lester, Lowell, Masterson, Ortiz, Pedroia, Youkilis
Topps Heritage
439, 456, 481, 483, 605, 702
Ticket to Stardom
220
Topps Unique
14, 156
Topps Update
complete
UD A Piece of History
13, 14, 40, 138
Upper Deck
complete
Upper Deck First Edition
312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318
Goodwin Champions
121, 122, 153, 155
Goudey
227, 237, 239, 276, 277, 287, 295
Icons
106
Spectrum
complete
Sweet Spot
45, 68, 97
UD X
complete 2010
Allen+Ginter 330, TDH62
Bowman 141
Bowman 1972 Throwbacks BT26, BT55, BT59, BT60, BT63, BT75, BT85
Finest 51, 54, 72, 73, 75, 105
National Chicle 4, 27, 53
Topps MTO9, MTO46, MTO52, MTO56, MTO72
Topps Chrome complete
Topps Turkey Red 5, 14, 30, 57, 84
Topps Opening Day PP63, PP98
Topps Attax Bay, Beckett, Drew, Ellsbury, Lowell, Ortiz
Topps Heritage 457, 476, 491
Topps 206 4, 29, 66 ,73, 76, 85, 90, 132, 191, 286, 305
Topps Update US144, US192
Upper Deck 8, 97, 101, 104, 106, 574

2010 Topps Update

2011-03-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

Generous friend of 'Pursuit of 80's(ness), the Alley Family from North Carolina, have sent another of their surprise packages this week. Heavily laden with packs of baseball cards. All they ask in return is some Match Attax and other Everton related items for their son.
The first items are 9 packs from the 2010 Topps Update Series.

The Red Sox available in the base set are;
US28 Bill Hall
US63 David Ortiz
US80 David Ortiz
US122 Darnell McDonald
US136 Jarrod Saltalamacchia
US142 Mike Cameron
US144 Eric Patterson
US145 Adrian Beltre
US163 Marco Scutaro
US190 John Lackey
US192 Daniel Nava RC
US220 Jon Lester
US284 Josh Reddick
US311 Felix Doubront RC
US323 Ryan Kalish RC
US328 Adrian Beltre
Short Print variations;
US220 Boston Americans
US317 Babe Ruth

There are 12 cards per pack, these are the exclusive packs which could contain the 1951 Topps Red Back inserts.

Pack 1:
#36 Omar Vizquel White Sox
#86 Matt Guerrier Twins
#199 Jhonny Peralta Indians
#239 Gabe Gross Athletics
#253 Mike Minor Braves
#274 Checklist 1/10
#292 Kelly Shoppach Bay Rays
#293 Pat Burrell Giants
#326 Miguel Cabrera Tigers
Attax David Price Bay Rays
#TR147 Frank Robinson Reds
#VLC47 Jimmie Foxx Athletics

Pack 2:
#63 David Ortiz Red Sox
#73 Torii Hunter Angels
#118 Jose Bautista Blue Jays
#160 Josh Johnson Marlins
#162 Hong-Chih Kuo Dodgers
#210 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
#215 Checklist 7/10
#230 Robinson Cano Yankees
#280 Alex Rodriguez Yankees
Attax Jason Heyward Braves
#37 Tom Seaver White Sox '51 Topps
#TMC22 Gary Carter Expos

Pack 3:
#16 Felipe Paulino Astros
#28 Bill Hall Red Sox
#55 Stephen Strasburg Nationals
#148 Peter Bourjos Angels
#164 Gaby Sanchez Marlins
#181 J.P. Arencibia Blue Jays
#226 Scott Podsednik Dodgers
#231 Gabe Kapler Bay Rays
#270 Vladimir Guerrero Rangers
#328 Adrian Beltre Red Sox
Attax John Lackey Red Sox
#TMC22 Gary Carter Expos (that's two)
Pack 4:
#48 Geoff Blum Astros
#80 David Ortiz Red Sox
#82 Emmanuel Burriss Giants
#103 Matt Tuiasosopo Mariners
#151 Kerry Wood Yankees
#234 Matt Downs Giants
#257 Joel Hanrahan Pirates
#289 Adam Kennedy Nationals
#322 John Ely Dodgers
Attax Brian McCann Braves
#TR109 Brandon Phillips Reds
#VLC32 Reggie Jackson Athletics
Pack 5:
#42 Conor Jackson Athletics
#46 Colby Lewis Rangers
# 116 Brandon Morrow Blue Jays
#145 Adrian Beltre Red Sox
#146 Peter Bourjos Angels
#David Wright Mets
#Robinson Cano Yankees
#Rod Barajas Mets
#321 Jason McDonald Indians
#479 Dodgers/Mariners Interleague Preview
Attax Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
#MTOG6 Intercity Sweep
Pack 6:
#4 Alex Cora Mets
#13 Max Scherzer Tigers
#35 Ryan Braun Brewers
#85 Starlin Castro Cubs
#101 Jake Westbtrook Cardinals
#139 Jorge Cantu Rangers
#150 Hanley Ramirez Marlins
#173 Lorenzo Cain Brewers
# 205 Ben Sheets Athletics
Attax Roy Halliday Phillies
#CMT146 Ozzie Smith Padres
#LL71 Palmer/Matusz Orioles
Pack 7:
#27 Koyie Hill Cubs
#39 Kila Ka'aihue Royals
#50 Mike Stanton Marlins
#72 Milton Bradley Mariners
#120 Brennan Boesch Tigers
#148 Josh Hamilton Rangers
#163 Marco Scutaro Red Sox
#177 Chris Heisey Reds
#300 Cliff Lee Rangers
Attax Buster Posey Giants
#TR124 Ryan Doumit Pirates
#VLC40 Tom Seaver Reds
Pack 8:
#15 Ike Davis Mets
#110 Curtis Granderson Yankees
#129 Gregor Blanco Royals
#192 Daniel Nava Red Sox
#246 LaTroy Hawkins Brewers
#265 Ryan Howard Phillies
#288 Jonny Venters Braves
#305 Cliff Lee Rangers
#325 Ian Kinsler Rangers
#319 Joey Votto Reds 2008 Topps
Attax Stephen Strasburg Nationals
#MTOG3 Triple Billing
Pack 9:
#66 Ronnie Belliard Dodgers
#68 John Danks White Sox
#70 Jonathan Broxton Dodgers
#87 Trevor Plouffe Twins
#114 Kenley Jansen Dodgers
#133 Javier Vazquez Yankees
#241 Joey Votto Reds
#260 Andre Ethier Dodgers
#209 Bengie Molina Rangers
Attax Josh Hamilton Rangers
#TMC23 Bob Gibson Cardinals
#40 Vladimir Guerrero Rangers '51 Topps

That is a very good showing for the Red Sox, eight cards from nine packs. Two of the '51 Topps inserts, which I think are super cards.

2008 Tristar Prospects Plus

2011-03-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

My friend Mark went on a trip to the USA last year and took his son, an avid Red Sox fan, to a Pawsox game at McCoy Stadium. He did the same thing the year before and his son left the game loaded with all sorts of goodies and he was able to 'run the bases' after the game as well. I am impressed with the way the affiliated clubs treat the future fans, unfortunately he didn't go the night Jacoby Ellsbury bobbleheads were being given away.

There is a healthy number of Red Sox prospects available in the 2008 Tristar sets, so there is a good chance of pulling one from this solitary pack of cards.There are six cards per pack with the tantalising promise of 'Farmhand' Autographed cards and 'Potential' game used Memorabilia. Buster Posey and Tim Beckham feature prominently on the pack.

The Red Sox cards available from this set are:

17 Casey Kelly PD
18 Ryan Westmoreland PD
29 Tyler Wilson PD
41 Pete Hissey PD
51 Tim Federowicz PD
55 Bryan Price PD
61 Jonathan Hee PD
82 Derrik Gibson PD
83 Pete Ruiz PD
95 Stephen Fife PD
102 Hunter Cervenka PD
104 Ryan Lavarnway PD
105 Kyle Weiland PD
107 Christian Vazquez PD
109 Mike Lee PD
137 Bryan Price, Stephen Fife, Kyle Weiland
138 Pete Hissey, Ryan Westmoreland, Bryan Peterson
139 Tim Federowicz, Christian Vasquez
140 Mike Lee, Mitch Herold
141 Lance McClain, Kyle Weiland
147 Pete Ruiz, Tyler Wilson, Seth Garrison, Alex Hale
148 Bryan Peterson, Tyler Yockey, Jonathan Hee

This pack contained:

#24 Reece Havens Brooklyn Cyclones
#55 Bryan Price Lowell Spinners
#74 Josh Lindblom Great Lakes Loons
#89 Tyler Chatwood Angels
#104 Ryan Lavarnway Lowell Spinners
#149 Chicago's future pitching Bristow/Leverton/Matchulat
So there you have it. Two Spinners and 'a Loon'. I just wish I knew more about Minor League ball.

2010 Topps Series 2

2011-03-06T06:31:00.001-08:00

2 packs of 2010 Topps that have sat my shelf for a while and need to be desposed of. Where they came from I am not sure, as to the Red Sox I still need from this set,
369 David Ortiz
CMT9 Carl Yastrzemski
CMT46 Pedro Martinez
CMT52 Kevin Youkilis
CMT56 Dustin Pedroia
CMT72 Carl Yastrzemski
CMT126 Carl Yastrzemski
CMT138 Louis Aparicio
CMT145 Carl Yastrzemski
CMT148 Wade Boggs
CMT164 Nomar Garciaparra
I don't usually go after inserts but I like these.

So what do these packs hold Red Sox wise?

Pack 1:
#409 Kosuke Fukudome Cubs
#489 Russell Martin Dodgers
#520 Randy Wells Cubs
#539 D-backs
#553 Marlins
#557 Aaron Hill Blue Jays
#654 Collin Balseter Nationals
Attax Max Scherzer Tigers
#LL38 Ripkin/Ramirez Orioles/Marlins
#TMC20 Carl Yastrzemski

Pack 2:
#389 Trot Tulowitzki Rockies
#390 Ervin Santana Angels
#481 Scott Rolen Reds
#476 Yadier Molina Cardinals
#506 Jose Lopez Mariners
#533 Gary Matthews Mets
#641 Chase Headley Padres
#643 Michael Young Rangers
Attax Yovani Gallardo Brewers
#PP69 Ryan Zimmerman Nationals

Zip, except for the Yaz giveaway. Oh Well.

2010 Topps Series 2 blaster

2011-02-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

Another of these Series 2 blasters, which may be a little late in the day, since 2011 has been out for a number of weeks now. There are some great inserts and this blaster should contain two packs of Target Parallel variation.
There are no Red Sox base cards that I still need, however there are a number of inserts such as Cards your mother threw out and Turkey Red that I aimed to collect.

The first pack will contain the manufactured patch. What a beauty it turns out to be from my birth year.

Pack 2:

#479 Chris Carpenter Cardinals

#498 Sergio Santos White Sox

#562 Carlos Quentin White Sox

#624 Carlos Beltran Mets

#641 Chase Headley Padres

Attax Zack Greinke Royals

#HWS18 Paul Molitor Blue Jays

#VLC18 Johnny Bench Reds

Pack 3:

#384 Chris Gordon Astros

#490 Michael Bourn Astros

#491 Rafael Furcal Dodgers

#502 Jhoulys Chacin Rockies

#596 Brendan Ryan Cardinals

Attax Justin Morneau Twins

#CMT77 Johnny Bench Reds

#TR94 Kurt Suzuki Athletics

Pack 4:

#418 Aaron Laffey Indians

#454 James Loney Dodgers

#463 Carlos Marmol Cubs

#524 Dusty Hughes Royals

#611 Josh Outman Athletics

#619 Mike Napoli Angels

Attax Yovani Gallardo Brewers

#VLC24 Pee Wee Reese Dodgers

Pack 5:

#378 George Sherrill Dodgers

#399 Matt Garza Bay Rays

#531 Matt Cain Giants

#637 Checklist 3/5

#655 Tyan Madson Phillies

Attax Ryan Zimmermann Nationals

#T2 Gordon Beckham White Sox

#VLC22 Roy Campanella Dodgers

Pack 6:

#354 Evan Longoria Bay Rays

#395 Jenrry Mejia Mets

#451 Michael Saunders Mariners

#571 Brandon Lyon Astros

#659 Nick Blackburn Twins

Attax Chase Utley Phillies

#LL57 Yogi Berra/Jorge Posada Yankees

#T8 Buster Posey Giants

Pack 7:

#356 Angels

#358 Mark Buehrle White Sox

#439 Emilio Bonifacio Marlins

#469 Alex Burnett Twins

#646 Trevor Crowe Indians

Attax Derek Lee Cubs

#LL34 Eddie Matthews/ Chipper Jones Braves

#HWS22 Alex Gonzalez MarlinsPack 8:
#364 Trevor Hoffman Brewers
#421 Doug Fister Mariners
#435 Nelson Cruz Rangers
#453 Jesse English Nationals
#599 Jay Bruce Reds
#634 Casey Kotchman Mariners
Attax Jason Bay Mets
#TR100 Derek Jeter Yankees
Pack 9:
#501 Jake Peavy White Sox
#526 Carlos Guillen Tigers
#544 Kevin Kouzmanoff Athletics
#565 Franklin Morales Rockies
#591 Fernando Rodney Angels
Attax Max Scherzer Tigers
#CMT89 Steve Carlton Phillies
#PP52 Lance Berkman Astros

The final two packs are the Target Parallel Version

Target Pack 1:
#412 Giants
#478 Conor Jackson D-backs
#590 Ryan Howard Phillies
#633 Daniel Bard Red Sox
#643 Michael Young Rangers
Attax Torii Hunter Angels
#PP53 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies
Sketchcard Target Pack 2:
#369 David Ortiz Red Sox
#480 Red Sox
#497 Edgar Renteria Giants
#541 Jason Motte Cardinals
#581 Chris Dickerson Reds
Attax Alex Rodriguez Yankees
#PP85 Justin Upton D-backs
#100 Topps 1999 Alex Rodriguez Mariners ???
So I had to wait until the Target packs to even see a Red Sox and ended up with 3. The last card, a2010 reprint of the 1999 Topps Alex Rodriguez card has really thrown me though.

2010 Topps Series 2 blaster

2010-12-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

There are so many parallel and variations in the Topps set that it makes my brain ache a little try to keep up. Other collectors have taken the time to list them all, so if your still here and are interested go to baseballcardpedia to get the full list.
The Series 2 Topps set was numbered #331 to #660.
The Red Sox cards available are;
369 David Ortiz
380 J.D. Drew
473 Jason Varitek
480 Boston Red Sox – Team Card
483 Daisuke Matsuzaka
499 Michael Bowden
534 Hideki Okajima
569 Jacoby Ellsbury
572 Clay Buchholz
595 Mike Lowell
627 Jeremy Hermida
633 Daniel Bard
650 Dustin Pedroia
656 Jon Lester
It should be noted that on the side of the blaster I am informed that there are 2 Exclusive black background parallel cards.

Pack 1:
Historical Manufactured patch card
MCP89 Jimmie Foxx 1933 All-star patch

Pack 2:

#332 Brad Hawpe Rockies

#459 Joel Zumaya Tigers

#503 Austin Jackson Tigers

#513 Scott Sizemore Tigers

#580 Ian Snell Mariners

~TA Grady Sizemore Indians

#PP79 Matt Kemp Dodgers

#TMC15 Mickey Mantle

Pack 3:

#376 Esmil Rogers Rockies

#483 Daisuke Matsuzaka Red Sox

#528 Brian Bannister Royals

#629 Oliver Perez Mets

~TA Joey Votto Reds

#CMT102 Babe Ruth
#CMT 108 Mariano Rivera Yankees (original back)

#TR58 Joey Votto Reds

Pack 4:

#383 Derek Lowe Angels

#384 Chris Johnson Astros

#399 Matt Garza Bay Rays

#431 John Raynor Pirates

#635 Carl Pavano Twins

~TA Alexei Ramirez White Sox

#HWS25 Nick Swisher

#LL55 Henderson/Upton

Pack 5:

#334 Jayson Werth Phillies

#362 Travis Snider Blue Jays

#422 Vin Mazzaro Athletics

#460 Aaron Cunningham Padres

#J.R.Towles Astros

~TA Zack Greinke Royals

#CMT82 George Brett Royals

#LL33 Fisk/Martinez Red Sox

Pack 6:

#469 Alex Burnett Twins

#$76 Yadier Molina Cardinals

#535 Andy Sonnanstine Bay Rays

#549 Derek Jeter Yankees

#626 Glen Perkins Twins

~TA Torii Hunter Angels

#CMT91 Ryne Sandberg Cubs

#VLC1 Lou Gehrig Yankees

Pack 7:

#337 Carlos Zambrano Cubs

#416 Ruben Tejada Mets

#432 A.J.Burnett Yankees

#473 Jason Varitek Red Sox

#551 Everth Cabrera Padres

~TA Tim Lincecum Giants

#T16 David Wright Mets

#VLC7 Tom Seaver Mets

Pack 8:

#415 Cincinnati Reds

#538 Travis Hafner Indians

#540 Sean Rodriguez Bay Rays

#609 Jeff Suppan Brewers

#644 David Purcey Blue Jays

#653 Nolan Reimold Orioles

~TA Pablo Sandoval Giants

#TR100 Derek Jeter Yankees

Pack 9:

#336 C.J.Wilson Rangers

#339 Jose Reyes Mets

#530 Steve Pearce Pirates

#602 Kansas City Royals

#625 Grady Sizemore Indians

~TA Jason Bay Mets

#HWS21 Derek Jeter

#VLC16 Thurman Munson Yankees

Pack 10:

#364 Trevor Hoffman Brewers

#378 George Sherrill Dodgers

#465 Chien-Ming Wang Nationals

#490 Micharl Bourn Astros

#520 Randy Wells Cubs

#607 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies

~TA Stephen Drew D-backs

#TR73 Chad Billingsley Dodgers

Pack 11:

#381 Miguel Montero D-backs

#408 Detroit Tigers

#555 B.J.Upton Bay Rays

#579 Trevor Cahill Athletics

#623 Miguel Cabrera Tigers

#647 Alfonso Soriano Cubs

~TA Felix Hernandez Mariners

#PP86 Justin Verlander Tigers

sketch card

These packs didn't really advance the Pursuit of Red Sox far. (only 3 Red Sox)

I'm not sure I can tell which of these packs were the 'special' black background cards either.

2010 Topps National Chicle

2010-09-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

Way back in May 2010, Cardboard Junkie showed some of the portraits from this set, sorted by artist. I was determined to my hands on some. It has taken a while but finally here is a blaster of an interesting set. This is definitely a love them/hate them sort of set. There is an excellent preview of this set at Sports Card Radio.
There are 330 cards in the base set consisting of : 205 baseball vets (#1-205), 50 retired players (#206-255), 20 rookies (#256- 275), 25 retired stars SP (#276-300), 10 vintage veterans SP(#301- 310), and 20 rookie renditions SP(#311- 330).

There are a number of parallel back variations consisting of Bazooka, National Chicle and Umbrella backs. There are Artist proofs and simulated cowhide variations as well.

There are 19 Red Sox available:
4 Daisuke Matsuzaka
22 Tim Wakefield
27 Jacoby Ellsbury
46 Kevin Youkilis
50 David Ortiz
53 Marco Scutaro
76 Victor Martinez
82 Josh Beckett
112 Dustin Pedroia
128 Michael Bowden
147 Jon Lester
162 Jonathan Papelbon
165 Jed Lowrie
171 Mike Cameron
192 J.D. Drew
218 Carlton Fisk
221 Dennis Eckersley
223 Carl Yastrzemski
308 Dustin Pedroia

There are 6 cards per pack and 8 packs in the blaster.

Pack 1:

#14 Mariano Rivera Yankees

#17 Ken Griffey Jr. Mariners

#40 Johnny Damon Tigers

#62 Chad Billingsley Dodgers

#69 Jose Reyes Mets

#267 Tobi Stoner Mets

Pack 2:

#20 David DeJesus Royals Topps back 12/25

#145 Kurt Suzuki Athletics

#192 J.D.Drew Boston Red Sox

#222 Lou Brock Cardinals

#244 Eddie Mathews Braves

#274 Ian Desmond Nationals

Pack 3:

#11 CC Sabathia Yankees Bazooka back

#127 Kyle Blanks Padres

#144 Jhoulys Chacin Rockies

#167 Ryan Ludwick Cardinals

#174 Marlon Byrd Cubs

#240 CY Young Cleveland Spiders

Pack 4:

#42 Robinson Cano Yankees

#50 David Ortiz Boston Red Sox

#162 Jonathan Papelbon Boston Red Sox

#179 Carlos Quentin White Sox

#202 Ian Stewart Rockies

#224 Al Kaline Tigers

Pack 5:

#15 Brad Hawpe Rockies

#52 Nick Swisher Yankees

#59 Wandy Rodriguez Astros

#82 Josh Beckett Boston Red Sox

#134 Felix Pie Orioles

#154 Derek Lowe Braves Chicle back

Pack 6:

#67 Mark Buehrle White Sox

#197 Dan Harden D-backs

#209 Juan Marichal Giants

#259 Henry Rodriguez Athletics

#265 Neil Walker Pirates

#325 Tommy Manzella Astros

Pack 7:

#53 Marco Scutaro Boston Red Sox

#72 Jorge Posada Yankees

#117 Jason Marquis Nationals

#130 Elvis Andrus Rangers

#249 Nolan Ryan Mets

#323 Tobi Stoner Mets

Pack 8:

#44 Jason Bay Mets

#75 Kendry Morales Angels

#102 Adam Wainwright Cardinals

#124 Carlos Zambrano Cubs

#156 Luke Scott Orioles Chicle back

#157 Jimmy Rollins Phillies

5 Red Sox is pretty good going, a numbered umbrella parallel, 2 short prints and a few back variations. No autographs or relics, pity the relics look very nice.

2010 Allen and Ginter Blaster

2010-09-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

A blaster is not the best way to try and complete a 350 cards set, however it will further the cause a little.
Just to remind- I am attempting to collect the base set of 2010 Allen +Ginter. I have 292 cards left to go, laugh if you like, but I will conquer it eventually.
8 packs containing 6 cards- 5 if a relic is enclosed.

Pack 1:

#69 Clay Buchholz Boston Red Sox

#131 Tyler Flowers White Sox

#267 Martin Prado Braves

#350 Alcides Escobar Brewers

#TDH28 Jose Reyes Mets

#51 Matt Holiday Cardinals mini A+G back

Pack 2:

#50 Jason Bay Mets

#122 Yadier Molina Cardinals

#164 Kyle Blanks Padres

#272 David Blaine Celebrity Weirdo

#TDH38 Jim Thome Twins

#MM1 Tyrannosaurus mini

Pack 3:

#3 Ryan Braun Brewers

#178 Josh Hamilton Rangers

#230 Brian Roberts Orioles

#308 Adrian Beltre Boston Red Sox

#TDH135 Josh Johnson Marlins

#125 Hideki Matsui Angels mini A+G back

Pack 4:

#94 Luke Hochevar Royals

#113 Billy Butler Royals

#185 X-Rays

#198 A.J.Pierzynski White Sox

#TDH60 Roy Halladay Phillies

#NA39 New Zealand Sheep (snigger, snigger)

Pack 5:

#37 Daniel McCutchen Pirates

#65 Andre Ethier Dodgers

#135 Ken Blackburn paper aeroplane record holder

#322 Gary Matthews Mets

#TDH73 Ian Kinsler Rangers

#43 Yovani Gallardo Brewers mini

Pack 6:

#1 Adam Lind Blue Jays

#30 Rafael Furcal Dodgers

#173 Jimmy Rollins Phillies

#AGH57 Carl Crawford Bay Rays

#TDH6 Brian Roberts Orioles

#LO15 Demeter mini Pack 7:
#118 Eric Young Jr Rockies
#144 Stuart Scott Sportscaster
#281 Kurt Suzuki Athletics
#319 Austin Jackson Tigers
#TDH14 Justin Verlander Tigers
#125 Hideki Matsui Angels mini black border
Checklist 1/4
Pack 8:
#8 Miguel Tejada Orioles
#296 Barry Zito Giants
#TDH22 Grady Sizemore Indians
#330 Jonathan Papelbon Boston Red Sox mini
#AGR-ML Mat Latos Padres Relic
Three Red Sox-nice one! A monster card- nice one! A relic card -nice one. A New Zealand sheep, a paper aeroplane champion and a guy who suspends himself in a box above the Thames. Nice one Topps.

1996 Pinnacle Series 2- hobby

2010-09-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is a moment of caveat emptor- "Let the buyer Beware". An e-bay lesson harshly learnt. Packs being a rare commodity in the UK, any packs of baseball cards and I will throw in a bid. Seeing the listing for two 1996 Pinnacle packs my brain inserted the words unopened and so a bid followed. I didn't check the description or the postage. No other bids and I became suspicious, they were in fact opened packs, the seller kindly listed all the cards and the postage was £3.00. They could take a holiday in the Maldives and return tanned and relaxed for that price. Lesson learnt.
All was not lost, I still need a few Red Sox from this set:
#28 Mike Greenwall
#78 Mo Vaughn
#141 Mo Vaughn
#247 Roger Clemens
#290 Dwayne Hosey
#303 Mike Greenwell
#330 Tom Gordon
#366 Mike Stanley

Pack 1:

#211 Craig Biggio Astros

#244 Derek Bell Astros

#262 Albert Belle Indians

#228 Jim Abbott Angels

#275 Alex Rodriguez Mariners

#296 Ismael Valdes Dodgers

#311 Erik Hanson Blue Jays

#315 John Smoltz Braves

#344 Andy Benes Cardinals

#383 Wilton Guerrero Dodgers

Pack2:
#201 Frank Thomas White Sox
#211 Craig Biggio Astros (what are the chances?)
#244 Derek Bell Astros (mental note -read descriptions)
#262 Albert Belle Indians (carefully!)
#308 Hal Morris Reds
#335 Paul Molitor Twins
#347 Julio Franco Indians
#378 Jason Kendall Pirates
#382 Osvaldo Fernandez Giants
#399 Chase checklist

So no Red Sox and three doubles in two packs. A quick check could have saved me the embarrasment.

2010 Topps Series 1 and 2

2010-09-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of solitary packs of Topps Series 1 and 2. These came from a parent at school and I didn't even have to ask for them, they remembered I collected baseball cards. That is a result.
There are no Red Sox cards I need from the Series 1.

The pack:

#28 Jonathan Sanchez Giants

#43 Marco Scutaro Blue Jays

#126 John Smoltz Cardinals

#213 Ricky Nolasco Marlins

#221 Russell Branyan Mariners

#225 David Price Bay Rays

#250 Mark Teixeira Yankees

#305 Juan Francisco Reds

#236 Andrew Bailey Athletics

#HOTG1 Baseball Invented

#TTT20 Adam Jones Orioles

#WTWY-SO Scott Olsen Nationals

And a pack of Series 2. I have yet to open any of these packs and yet to collect any of the Red Sox.
The base Red Sox from Series 2 are:
#369 David Ortiz
#380 J.D. Drew
#473 Jason Varitek
#480 Boston Red Sox - Franchise History
#483 Daisuke Matsuzaka
#499 Michael Bowden
#534 Hideki Okajima
#569 Jacoby Ellsbury
#572 Clay Buchholz
#595 Mike Lowell
#627 Jeremy Hermida
#633 Daniel Bard
#650 Dustin Pedroia
#656 Jon Lester

The Pack:
#343 Brain Bruney Nationals
#474 Kyle Kendrick Phillies
#480 Boston Red Sox
#486 Raul Ibanez Phillies
#541 Jason Motte Cardinals
#549 Derek Jeter Yankees
#575 Ryan Perry Tigers
#580 Ian Snell Mariners
#617 Luis Valbuena Indians
#621 Aaron Cook Rockies gold 0122/2010
#T4 David Price Bay Rays
Topps Attax Chase Utley Phillies

So a solo Red Sox from the series 2 which is fortunate and the 2020 3D cards are right up collecting alley. There were definitely three inserts per pack. Previous 2010 packs have had only 2 inserts, which a reader commented was unusual.

2010 Upper Deck Series 1 Jumbo

2010-08-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Another Upper Deck Jumbo, another 36 cards to consider the merits of searching for Red Sox in packs. See previous post as to the missing Red Sox cards from this particular set.

The Pack:

#23 Buster Posey San Francisco

#36 Pedro Viola Cincinnati

#44 Augie Ojeda Arizona

#79 Ty Wigginton Baltimore

#124 Jake Fox Chicago

#164 Asdrubal Cabrera Cleveland

#178 Matt Murton Colorado

#207 Ryan Perry Detroit

#208 Fu-Te Ni Detroit

#224 Hunter Pence Houston

#231 J.R.Towles Houston

#252 Brian Bannister Kansas City

#270 Brain Fuentes Los Angeles

#277 James Loney Los Angeles

#278 Casey Blake Los Angeles

#289 Corey Hart Milwaukee

#290 Jody Gerut Milwaukee

#299 Carlos Villanueva Milwaukee

#341 Melky Cabrera New York

#354 Jose Molina New York

#360 Aaron Cunningham Oakland

#367 Josh Outman Oakland

#396 Ross Ohlendorf Pittsburgh

#439 Noah Lowry San Francisco

#444 Franklin Gutierrez Seattle

#445 Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle

#471 Jason Motte St.Louis

#476 Fernando Perez Tampa Bay

#510 Scott Downs Toronto

#536 Shairon Martis Washington

#553 Kansas City, Missouri

#562 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#589 New York Checklist

#SB-120 Marc Rzepczynski Toronto

#TMS-4Adam Dunn Washington

#TMS -14 Manny Ramirez Los Angeles

Wow, another poor Red Sox showing. These packs are not helping the cause one bit!

2010 Upper Deck Series 1

2010-08-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Poor Upper Deck, no license but lovely cards. . Here's a fun game to play according to Upper Deck - hunt the variations, ever so slight tweeks made to 25 of the 600 base cards. Running from Common, Rare, Super Rare and Will never see one unless it sells on e-bay. Check the complete list here.
As for the Red Sox, I am still in the hunt for:
8 Dustin Richardson RC
91 Dustin Pedroia
96 Clay Buchholz
97 Jed Lowrie
98 Mike Lowell
100 Takashi Saito
101 Hideki Okajima
104 Josh Beckett
106 Jonathan Papelbon
574 Checklist

Two 'fatpacks' to open , very nice.

Fat Pack 1:
#28 Buster Posey San Francisco
#49 Chad Qualls Arizona
#155 Francisco Cordero Cincinnati
#163 Trevor Crowe Cleveland
#224 Hunter Pence Houston
#245 John Buck Kansas City
#290 Jody Gerut Milwaukee
#299 Carlos Villanueva Milwaukee
#329 Daniel Murphy New York
#358 Rajai Davis Oakland
#413 Nick Hundley San Diego
#466 Yadier Molina St.Louis (Variation?-who knows?)
#471 Jason Motte St.Louis
#508 Frank Francisco Texas
#549 Denver, Colorado
#594 San Francisco Checklist
#SB-28 Yovani Gallardo Milwaukee
#SB-113 Ryan Spilborghs Colorado
#SE-39 Jared Weaver
#SE-87 Jeff Niemann Tampa Bay 44/99

Fat Pack 2:
#14 Esmil Rogers Colorado
#23 Chris Johnson Houston
#108 Kevin Gregg Chicago
#131 Josh Fields Chicago
#154 Ramon Hernandez Cincinnati
#172 Jhonny Peralta Cleveland
#366 Michael Wuertz Oakland
#400 Zach Duke Pittsburgh
#441 Jeremy Affeldt San Francisco
#443 Ian Snell Seattle
#460 Colby Rasmus St.Louis
#484 Dioner Navarro Tampa Bay
#495 Michael Young Texas
#534 Austin Kearns Washington
#565 St. Loius, Missouri
#588 New York Checklist
#BHA-7 Nick Markakis Baltimore
#SB-44 Ryan Zimmerman Washington
#SB-183 Brian Matusz Baltimore
#SE-71 Tony Gwynn San Diego
These two Fat Packs didn't help the 'Pursuit for Red Sox any further.

2010 Topps baseball series 1

2010-08-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

The second 5 packs of 2010 Topps that left untouched for many months. A quick check last night and I realised that I was short one Red Sox. #131 Dustin Richardson Rookie card, so I pulled that from the first four packs, so Red Sox series 1 are now definitely done and dusted.
Onto five more Topps Series 1:

Pack 5:

#9 Tim Lincecum Giants

#36 Tobi Stoner Mets

#71 Mike Hampton Astros

#116 Carlos Gomez Brewers

#195 James Shields Bay Rays

#199 Seattle Mariners

#219 Kevin Hart Pirates

#254 Edwin Jackson Tigers

#283 Adam Kennedy Athletics

#312 Tyler Flowers White Sox

#TTT15 Miguel Cabrera Tigers

#HOTG15 Jackie Robinson

Pack 6:

#30 Victor Martinez Red Sox

#40 Josh Johnson Marlins

#88 Jerry Hairston Jr. Yankees

#143 Omar Vizquel Rangers

#165 Brandon Phillips Reds

#167 San Diego Padres

#218 Fernando Martinez Mets

#245 Lance Berkman Astros

#291 Austin Kearns Nationals

#299 Gary Sheffield Mets

#TTT24 Ryan Braun Brewers

#CMT-30 Eddie Murray Orioles

Pack 7:

#15 Bobby Abreu Angels

#23 Shane Victorino Phillies

#98 Cesar Ramos Padres

#101 Scott Baker Twins

#123 Jeff Samardzija Cubs

#244 Barry Zito Giants

#265 Angels

#297 Ben Zorbrist Bay Rays

#306 Milton Bradley Cubs

#317 Ryan Doumit Pirates

#TTT10 Tim Lincecum Giants

#TMC-4 Million Card Giveaway (are ther any cards left?)

Pack 8:

#73 League Leaders

#90 Ian Kinsler Rangers

#94 Ivan Rodriguez Rangers

#104 New York Mets

#137 Oakland Athletics

#161 Denard Span Twins

#183 Jonathan Papelbon Red Sox
#191 Mat Latos Padres

#206 League Leaders

#214 Matt Kemp Dodgers

#238 Ian Stewart Rockies

#TTT12 Miguel Tejada Astros

Pack 9:

#10 Clayton Kershaw Dodgers

#46 Chad Tracy D-backs

#120 Jorge Posada Yankees

#146 Yunel Escobar Braves

#148 Cody Ross Marlins

#151 Mat Gamel Brewers

#212 Magglio Ordonez Tigers

#253 Bengie Molina Giants

#273 Pat Neshek Twins

#322 Travis Buck Athletics

#TTT11 Brian McCann Braves

#TMC-6 Million Card Giveaway?

I might do a little investigation into this but while looking at the cards yesterday I noticed, on the Kevin Youkilis card in particular, that people in the crowd are pictured very clearly. Maybe I hadn't noticed before or whether the photography is better now or clearer, but the spectators (or lack of them in some cases) are clearly distinguishable. How cool would it be to be pictured on a Topps card. Okay then just me on that. Here for example is the Chad Tracy card.
Is there someone, who upon seeing this card going, 'Hey that's me!' or 'There's my teacher, Mr Hinkel' or 'There's that bastard who stole my bike'. The spectators on the Youkilis card look a little a bit gormless, you might say unprepared. So what do you do ? Smile every time a player comes close just in case it's on a Topps card?

2010 Topps Baseball Series 1

2010-08-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

I was gifted 9 packs of these a while ago and they sat unopened, which is a bit of a travesty to discover them so late in the year. The first four packs contained:

Pack 1:

#44 Howie Kendrick Angels

#61 Skip Schumaker Cardinals

#96 Jon Garland Dodgers

#119 Wilkin Ramirez Tigers

#140 Matt Holliday Cardinals

#147 Huston Street Rockies

#209 Alexei Ramirez White Sox

#231 Luke Scott Orioles

#282 Washington Nationals

#304 Adam LaRouche Braves gold border 1963/2010

#324 Alex Rios White Sox

#TTT25 Manny Ramirez Dodgers

Packs 2:

#54 John Lackey Angels

#75 Adrian Gonzalez Padres

#82 Jason Marquis Rockies

#103 Daniel Murphy Mets

#149 Jose Guillen Royals

#150 Joe Mauer Twins

#270 Michael Brantley Indians

#284 Ross Ohlendorf Pirates

#301 Jack Cust Athletics

#TTT18 Vladimir Guerrero Angels

#TR13 Yovani Gallardo Brewers

Pack 3:

#28 Jonathan Sanchez Giants

#89 J.A.Harp Phillies

#99 Garrett Jones Pirates

#142 Tim Hudosn Braves

#162 Wade Davis Bay Rays

#170 Jason Bay Red Sox

#213 Ricky Nolasco Marlins

#243 Asdrubal Cabrera Indians

#250 Mark Teixeira Yankees

#307 Henry Rodriguez Athletics

#TTT4 Adrian Gonzalez Padres

#250 Stan Musial Cardinals

Pack 4:

#22 Anthony Swarzak Twins

#26 Zach Duke Pirates

#93 Joe Nathan Twins

#131 Dustin Richardson Red Sox

#175 Josh Hamilton Rangers

#186 Andrew Bailey Athletics

#192 Andruw Jones Rangers

#194 Neil Walker Pirates

#266 Humberto Quintero Astros

#295 Kevin Youkilis Red Sox

#TTT21 Adam Dunn Nationals

#TOG10 Jimmy Piersall backwards HR

There are no Red Sox I need from Series 1. However these 4 packs concealed 3 Red Sox, so in the 'search for Sox' that is pretty fair.

All for trade if there are any collectors needing those last few that have escaped them.

2008 Upper Deck Masterpieces

2010-07-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

Big B sent along this pack of Masterpieces. With only 4 cards per pack you would think this would a difficult set to collect, however if you are a regular of 'Check Out My Cards', finishing the base set it not too difficult. Collecting all the colour variations that is a different story.

There are no Red Sox that I need from the base set.

The pack:

#7 Evan Longoria Bay Rays

#12 Wade Boggs Red Sox

#52 Ken Griffey Jr. Reds

#56 Jose Reyes Mets

Not a bad pack really. All that was missing was a short print. Pity they didn't try again with Masterpieces.

1960's Red Sox wants list 1965 - 1969

2010-07-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

The cards I needs from:
1965 Topps 1/26

29, 55, 74, 88, 111, 142, 147, 162, 178, 199, 222, 251, 272, 295, 315, 356, 385, 403, 434, 452, 494, 509, 525, 543, 573, 588

1966 Topps 2/29

37, 53, 70, 93, 114, 135, 178, 203, 227, 259, 277, 298, 317, 329, 343, 356, 380, 396, 419, 456, 475, 491, 512, 523, 542, 558, 575

1967 Topps 2/28

36, 75, 99, 117, 139, 161, 184, 206, 223, 261, 280, 297, 314, 331, 342, 355, 371, 429, 444, 473, 528, 547, 572, 594, 596, 604

1968 Topps 2/35
26, 43, 61, 87, 106, 123, 140, 152, 155, 156, 167, 189, 192, 233, 250, 272, 297, 314, 331, 346, 369, 387, 406, 430, 449, 481, 502, 519, 537, 555, 566, 581, 593

1969 Topps 10/26
130, 172, 240, 264, 311, 330, 349, 391, 417, 425, 457, 476, 543, 574, 628, 660

1960's Red Sox vacancy list 1960 - 1964

2010-07-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Red Sox cards needed from;

1960 Topps 0/35

15, 38, 54, 68, 71, 94, 111, 117, 148, 153, 184, 203, 220, 232, 249, 267, 280, 296, 310, 317, 336, 363, 382, 403, 426, 439, 452, 456, 474, 487, 520, 533, 537, 544, 557

1961 Topps 5/30
16, 33, 53, 69, 81, 113, 128, 193, 210, 221, 268, 287, 301, 340, 373, 419, 434, 445, 454, 476, 499, 519, 540, 548, 562

1962 Topps 3/28
3, 35, 81, 101, 117, 153, 187, 201, 225, 244, 276, 301, 334, 336, 345, 403, 425, 444, 457, 467, 504, 523, 559, 567, 580

1963 Topps 1/24
52, 76, 96, 115, 136, 168, 188, 202, 216, 232, 251, 285, 307, 328, 343, 363, 384, 408, 432, 447, 480, 513, 574,

1964 Topps 2/24
25, 60, 79, 93, 112, 153, 170, 186, 210, 228, 248, 267, 287, 329, 376, 410, 428, 459, 481, 503, 526, 579

2010 Allen and Ginter

2010-07-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

My favourite set in 2010 was a close call between Allen and Ginter and Obak. I haven't attempted to collect a complete set of A+G set before so that pushes slightly ahead of Obak.

There are 350 cards in the 2010 Allen and Ginter base set, which includes 260 baseball veterans, 30 rookies, 35 champions from other sports and 25 historical figures/places.
There is also a 350 card mini parallel set. Other parallel sets including Wood (1of 1), Silk (#to 10), Bazooka back (#to 25), No Number back (#to 50), Black Border Minis and Allen & Ginter back minis.

I will attempt to collect the entire 350 base set, no mini's or parallels, however I will try to collect the 'Monsters of the Mesozoic'.

I need 122 cards to complete the base set.
5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 23, 26, 28, 31, 32, 36, 43, 45 46 47 48, 53 54, 67, 71, 82, 95 108, 111, 115 120, 123 124, 126 127, 130, 133, 136 139 140 145, 148, 151, 153 158 161 163, 166, 169, 174, 180 181, 183, 190 191, 195, 199, 203 204 205, 207 208 209, 211 212, 216, 218, 222, 225, 232 233, 236 237, 239, 241, 246, 253, 255, 259, 265, 270 271, 273 274 275 276, 283, 285 286 287, 291, 294, 299 300, 303 304 305 306 307, 311, 313 314 315, 317 318, 320 321, 323 325, 327, 333 335, 338 339, 341 342, 344 345 346 347 348 349. Monsters still needed:
aMM1 Tyrannosaurus Rex
MM2 Triceratops
MM3 Stegosaurus
MM4 Velociraptor
MM5 Allosaurus
MM6 Megalosaurus
MM7 Spinosaurus
MM8 Ankylosaurus
MM9 Apatosaurus
MM10 Brachiosaurus
MM11 Diplodocus
MM12 Iguanodon
MM13 Pachycephalosaurus
MM14 Pentaceratops
MM15 Protoceratops
MM16 Ultrasaurus
MM17 Dilophosaurus
MM18 Supersaurus
MM19 Nomingia
MM20 Oviraptor
MM21 Bambiraptor
MM22 Protarchaeopteryx
MM23 Carcharodontosaurus
MM24 Carnotaurus
MM25 Giganotosaurus

2010 Topps Opening Day baseball

2010-06-19T04:52:00.001-07:00

More of the opening day nonsense.
There are still a few of the Red Sox base cards to collect:

#17 Victor Martinez
#93 Josh Beckett
#120 Kevin Youkilis
#138 David Ortiz
#157 Daisuke Matsuzaka
#183 Jon Lester

and the inserts include:
Topps Attax #ODTA11 Josh Beckett
Topps Town Stars #TTS5 David Ortiz
Mascots #M4 Wally the Green Monster

Lets see how we do in the search for sox.

Pack 1:

#26 John Lackey Red Sox

#29 Manny Ramirez Dodgers

#46 Jon Garland Dodgers

#70 Jeff Niemann Bay Rays

#94 Kelly Shoppach Bay Rays

#111 Jair Jurrjens Angels

#TTS22 Albert Pujols Cardinals

Pack 2:

#36 Brandon Inge Tigers

#71 Vernon Wells Blue Jays 1001/2010
#121 ben Zobrist Bay Rays

#126 Jason Kubel Twins

#191 Scott Rolen Reds

#197 Travis Snider Blue Jays

Topps Attax Nick Markakis Orioles

Pack 3:

#104 Lance Berkman Astros

#117 Lyle Overbay Blue Jays

#141 Nick Markakis Orioles

#172 Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox

#205 Dan Uggla Marlins

#214 Josh Thole Mets

#TTS21 Ryan Howard Phillies

Pack 4:

#16 Aubrey Huff Tigers

#38 Adrian Gonzalez Padres

#92 Alexei Ramirez White Sox

#159 Johan Santana Mets

#170 Russell Martin Dodgers

#181 Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies

#M10 Billy the Marlin

2 Sox from 4 packs and Jacoby Ellsbury counts as triple (even quadruple ) in my book. It feels pretty good to pull your favourite player from a pack, even if you already have it. And not a Yankee to be seen...

Still a little uncomfortable about the mascot cards.

Or am I missing something?

Are they are integral part of the baseball experience?

2010 Upper Deck baseball series 1

2010-05-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

The final 2 Jumbo packs of 2010 unauthorised Upper Deck.

Still need these cards from the Red Sox base set:

8 Dustin Richardson RC
91 Dustin Pedroia
92 David Ortiz
93 J.D. Drew
94 Jeff Bailey
95 Kevin Youkilis
97 Jed Lowrie
98 Mike Lowell
99 George Kottaras
100 Takashi Saito
101 Hideki Okajima
102 Jason Varitek
103 Jon Lester
104 Josh Beckett
105 Daniel Bard
106 Jonathan Papelbon
544 Fenway
574 Checklist

The two jumbo packs contained;

Jumbo Pack 3:
#1 Rookie checklist
#9 Tyler Flowers Chicago
#14 Esmit Rogers Colorado
#23 Chris Johnson Houston
#63 Martin Prado Atlanta
#72 Ryan Church Atlanta
#108 Kevin Gregg Chicago
#129 Alexei Ramirez Chicago
#131 Josh Fields Chicago
#134 Mark Buehrle Chicago
#167 Kerry Wood Cleveland
#172 Jhonny Peralta Cleveland
#174 Luis Valbuena Cleveland
#176 Ryan Spilborghs Colorado
#181 Ian Stewart Colorado
#219 Kiko Calero Florida
#240 Jose Guillen Kansas City

#267 Jered Weaver Los Angeles
#284 Eric Stults Los Angeles
#324 Jeremy Reed New York
#331 John Maine New York
#393 Ramon Vazquez Pittsburgh
#399 Charlie Morton Pittsburgh
#441 Jeremy Affeldt San Francisco
#443 Ian Snell Seattle
#446 Matt Tutasosopo Seattle
#452 Brandon Morrow Seattle
#479 Gabe Gross Tampa Bay
#484 Dioner Navarro Tampa Bay
#485 Dan Wheeler Tampa Bay
#486 Andy Sonnanstine Tampa Bay
#531 Wil Nieves Washington
#576 Chicago checklist
#585 Los Angeles checklist
#SB49 Clayton Kershaw Los Angeles
#TMS7 Miguel Montero Arizona
#TMS22 Michael Cuddyer Minnesota

Jumbo pack 4:
#18 Ernesto Frieri San Diego RC
#27 Dusty Hughes Kansas City RC
#53 Leo Rosales Arizona
#63 Adam LaRoche Atlanta
#64 Omar Infante Atlanta
#73 Nate McLouth Atlanta
#90 Rich Hill Baltimore
#140 D.J.Carrasco Chicago
#142 Justin Lehr Cincinnati
#153 Micah Owings Cincinnati
#185 Chris Iannetta Colorado
#187 Franklin Morales Colorado
#233 Jose Valverde Houston
#241 Davis DeJesus Kansas City
#287 Hong-Chih Kuo Los Angeles
#294 Mat Gamel Milwaukee
#301 Mitch Stetter Milwaukee

#334 Francisco Rodriguez New York
#336 Mike Pelfrey New York
#356 Ryan Sweeney Oakland
#381 Jack Taschner Philadelphia
#383 Brad Lidge Philadelphia
#403 Matt Gapps Pittsburgh
#442 Russell Branyan Seattle
#468 Brad Thompson St.Louis
#489 J.P.Howell Tampa Bay
#494 Nelson Cruz Texas
#534 Austin Kearnes Washington
#551 Miami, Florida
#559 Bronx, New York
#582 Houston checklist
#586 Milwaukee checklist
#SB142 Roy Halladay Toronto
#TMS14 Manny Ramirez Los Angeles
#TMS17 Brandon Inge Detroit

These two jumbo packs didn't advance the Red Sox cause any distance at all. Not a single Red Sox at all, that is just bad form.

1989 Fleer Baseball

2010-05-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

A pack of Junk Wax from Big B. Surprisingly I still need 5 Red Sox cards from this readily available set. They are:
#78 - Marty Barrett
#80 - Mike Boddicker
#95 - Carlos Quintana RC
#98 - Kevin Romine
#650 - Mike Rochford Red Sox and Grady Hall White Sox

What does this pack have in store?

#2 Lance Blanenship Athletics

#84 Rick Cerone Red Sox

#155 Norm Charlton Reds

#228 John Cerutti Blue Jays

#253 Richard Dotson Yankees

#286 Charlie Leibrandt Royals

#304 Mark Grant Padres

#326 Kelly Downs Giants

#350 Alan Ashby Astros

#388 Johnny Paredes Expos

#457 Willie McGee Cardinals

#480 Jack Howell Angels

#504 Jack McDowell White Sox

#545 Henry Cotto Mariners

#565 Bob Dernier Phillies

Braves sticker

No luck. What were they thinking with the pin strips?

2010 Upper Deck Series 1 baseball

2010-05-17T02:39:00.000-07:00

The first two Jumbo (in the true sense of the word) packs of the unauthorised Upper Deck.

There are 600 cards in the base set. This includes Rookies (#1-40), Veterans (#41 to 540), Ballparks (#541 to 570) and Checklists (#571 to 600). Upper Deck keep those with ordering difficulties happy by arranging the team sets in sequential and alphabetical order.

Also, interestingly there is an parallel version called 'Double Take'. 25 cards from the base set are altered in a unique way. The set is broken down into four levels: Common, Rare, Super Rare, and Ultra Rare. I remember hearing of a competition to reward the first people to gain the complete variation set to receive a prize.

Anyone seen a 'double take'? That excludes those to appear on e-bay. These supermarket packs have an exclusive called 'Tape Measure Shots'.

The base set Red Sox include:

8 Dustin Richardson RC
91 Dustin Pedroia
92 David Ortiz
93 J.D. Drew
94 Jeff Bailey
95 Kevin Youkilis
96 Clay Buchholz
97 Jed Lowrie
98 Mike Lowell
99 George Kottaras
100 Takashi Saito
101 Hideki Okajima
102 Jason Varitek
103 Jon Lester
104 Josh Beckett
105 Daniel Bard
106 Jonathan Papelbon
107 Nick Green
544 Fenway
574 Checklist

With odds of 1 in 96 (hobby) and 1 in 960 (retail). Any chances there be any variations in these Jumbo's? No didn't think so.

Jumbo PACK 1:

#10 Drew Stubbs Cincinnati RC

#19 Tyler Calvin Chicago RC

#47 Max Scherzer Arizona

#75 Luke Scott Baltimore

#85 Jim Johnson Baltimore

#107 Nick Green Boston

#143 Wladimir Balentien Cincinnati

#155 Francisco Cordero Cincinnati

#191 Jason Hammel Colorado

#200 Gerald Laird Detroit

#221 Andrew Miller Florida

#224 Hunter Pence Houston

#227 Kazuo Matsui Houston

#231 J.R.Towles Houston

#258 Kevin Jepsen Los Angeles

#265 Mike Napoli Los Angeles

#270 Brian Fuentes Los Angeles

#311 Jason Kubel Minnesota

#313 Brian Buscher Minnesota

#316 Joe Nathan Minnesota

#357 Jack Cust Oakland
#359 Andrew Bailey Oakland

#360 Aaron Cunningham Oakland

#370 Craig Breslow Oakland

#375 Raul Ibanez Philadelphia

#402 Lasting Milledge Pittsburgh

#422 Joe Thatcher San Diego

#499 Taylor Teagarden Texas

#529 Ryan Zimmerman Washington

#532 Ron Villane Washington

#556 Milwaukee, Wisconsin

#568 Arlington, Texas

#596 Seattle checklist

#SB102 Albert Pujols biography

#TMS4 Adam Dunn Washington

#TMS9 Nelson Cruz Texas

Jumbo PACK 2:
#28 Buster Posey San Francisco RC
#36 Pedro Viola Cincinnati RC
#76 Noaln Reimold Baltimore
#96 Clay Buchholz Boston
#114 Aaron Miles Chicago
#138 Bobby Jenks Chicago
#148 Brandon Phillips Cincinnati
#161 Matt LaPorta Cleveland
#202 Curtis Granderson Detroit
#237 Bud Norris Houston
#245 John Buck Kansas City
#247 Zack Greinke Kansas City
#278 Casey Blake Los Angeles
#289 Corey Hart Milwaukee
#290 Jody Gerut Milwaukee
#292 Mike Cameron Milwaukee

#320 Scott Baker Minnesota
#338 Pat Misch New York
#364 Kurt Suzuki Oakland
#415 Luis Perdomo San Diego
#420 Kevin Correia San Diego
#444 Franklin Gutierrez Seattle
#450 Carlos Silva Seattle
#456 Mark Lowe Seattle
#466 Yadier Molina St.Louis
#508 Frank Francisco Texas
#514 Ricky Romero Toronto
#536 Shairon Martis Washington
#538 Garrett Mock Washington
#560 Oakland, California
#569 Toronto, Ontario
#578 Cleveland checklist
#587 Minnesota checklist
#SB17 Randy Johnson biography
#TMS8 Seth Smith Colorado
#TMS Lance Berkman Houston Only 2 Red Sox from 72 cards! I'm obviously not trying hard enough.

2010 Topps Heritage Jumbo baseball Deux

2010-05-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

The next five Jumbo packs of Topps Heritage that arrived due to a forced encampment outside a Walmart somewhere in Florida. There are 14 cards per pack, so not really a 'Jumbo' in the Upper Deck sense of the word. 36 cards! Now that's Jumbo.

Still need:
81 Dustin Richardson RC
99 Jed Lowrie
173 Boston Speed Party - Dustin Pedroia & Jacoby Ellsbury
221 Terry Francona
261 David Ortiz
302 Adrian Beltre
316 Kevin Youkilis
376 Marco Scutaco
386 Tim Wakefield
421 Dustin Pedroia
457 J.D. Drew SP
476 Dustin Pedroia - 2005 AL MVP SP
491 Jason Bay AS SP

Jumbo pack 5:
#11 Adam Wainwright Cardinals
#54 Daniel McCutchen Pirates
#120 Chipper Jones Braves
#179 Chase Utley Phillies
#278 Luis Durango Padres
#315 Brandon Webb D-backs
#356 Dan Haren D-backs
#359 Jose Lopez Mariners
#360 Vladimir Guerrero Rangers
#375 Ricky Nolasco Marlins
#380 Jeff Francoeur Mets
#391 Melvin Mora Orioles
#419 Michael Saunders Mariners
#BT1 Roger Maris Yankees

Jumbo Pack 6:
#4 Delmon Young Twins
#17 Checklist 1st series
#20 Cole Hamels Phillies
#39 Matt Carson Athletics
#40 A.J.Burnett Yankees
#86 Los Angeles Dodgers
#99 Jed Lowrie Red Sox
#112 Adam Everett Tigers
#156 Drew Stubbs Reds
#212 Omir Santos Mets
#309 Game 4 2009 World Series
#318 Aubrey Huff Giants
#335 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies
#NT7 Apollo Program Announced

Jumbo Pack 7:
#9 Aaron Harang Reds
#24 Andrew Bailey Athletics
#103 Jimmy Rollins Phillies
#107 Rich Harden Rangers
#178 Matt Holliday Cardinals
#183 Felipe Lopez Brewers
#187 Nyjer Morgan Nationals
#244 Ichiro Mariners
#258 Derek Holland Rangers
#262 Andrew McCutchen Pirates
#305 Brad Bergesen Orioles
#361 Checklist 5th series
#483 Mario Rivera Yankees MVP
#NAP Ryan Howard Phillies

Jumbo Pack 8:
#10 Brian Roberts Orioles
#44 AL League leaders
#52 Ronny Cedeno Pirates
#62 Nick Markakis Orioles
#87 Juan Uribe Giants
#143 David DeJesus Royals
#144 Jon Niese Mets
#166 Ramon Hernandez Reds
#188 Adrian Gonzalez Padres
#224 Bob Green Athletics
#261 David Ortiz Red Sox
#270 Vin Mazzaro Athletics
#304 Alex Gordon Royals
#420 Justin Maorneau Twins

Jumbo Pack 9:
#15 Grady Sizemore Indians
#16 Clay Buchholz Red Sox
#93 Raul Ibanez Phillies
#118 Yadier Molina Cardinals
#174 Craig Stammen Nationals
#177 Trevor Cahill Athletics
#243 Adam Lind Blue Jays
#271 Gary Sheffield Mets
#349 Jose Guillen Royals
#374 Brad Hawpe Rockies
#378 Francisco Liriano Twins
#379 Randy Wells Cubs
#424 Chien-Ming Wang Yankees
#494 Yadier Molina Cardinals SP
3 Red Sox from 5 Jumbo packs, 2 that I needed, which isn't too bad. Always nice to pull a Big Papi from a pack. Have all the Red Sox photos been taken in front of the green monster or in a studio made to look like it was at Fenway? Perhaps they were after a green screen effect and failed to insert the background of players choice. Big Papi in front of pyramids, a beach in Hawaii, a tranquil forest perhaps.

2010 Topps Attax baseball part 2

2010-05-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

The second lot of packs I was recently gifted. Hopefully I will fair better in the search for Red Sox.

Pack 1:

Eric Byrnes D-backs

Jhonny Peralta Indians

Victor Martinez Red Sox

Felipe Lopez Brewers

Tim Lincecum Giants

Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox

Derek Jeter Yankees code card

CC Sabathia Yankees superstar

Pack 2:

Johan Santana Mets

Jonathan Broxton Dodgers

Adrian Gonzalez Padres

Cristian Guzman Nationals

Adam Kennedy Athletics

B.J.Upton Bay Rays

Pablo Sandoval Giants code card

Ubaldo Jimenez Rockies Hot StreakPack 3:

Jason Bay Mets

Howie Kendrick Angels

Kevin Kouzmanoff Padres

Nolan Reimold Orioles

David Wright Mets

Erik Bedard Mariners

CC Sabathia Yankees code card

Nolan Reimold Orioles hot streak

Pack 4:

Carl Crawford Bay Rays

Josh Willingham Nationals

Ian Kinsler Rangers

Zack Greinke Royals

Ryan Dempster Cubs

Yadier Molina Cardinals

Hanley Ramirez Marlins code card

Derek Jeter Yankees superstar

Pack 5:

Joe Mauer Twins

Freddy Sanchez Giants

Jake Peavy White Sox

Tommy Hanson Braves

Clint Barmes Rockies

Gerardo Parra D-backs

Curtis Granderson Yankees code card

Kendry Morales Angels hot streak

Not such great odds - 3 Red Sox from 10 packs. However looking on the bright side I pulled the two Jacoby Ellsbury cards I need from this set. That in itself is close to a miracle.
If your still reading Night Owl - I am really sorry the Dodgers are just not falling for me at the moment.

2010 Topps Attax Baseball Part 1

2010-05-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

The first five packs from my 'Volcano gifting.' A product aimed at the modern child who likes fantasy gaming. Hmmm.
These have been one of the most popular sets Topps has created.
There are 220 base cards, 30 code cards, 31 gold 'superstars', 60 silver 'hot streak' and 10 sepia 'legends'
There are 21 cards in the starter set and 8 cards per pack: a foil card and code card in every pack.

The Red Sox available are:

Base

Victor Martinez
David Ortiz
Kevin Youkilis
J.D. Drew
Jacoby Ellsbury
Jason Bay
Dustin Pedroia
Jon Lester
Jonathan Papelbon
Josh Beckett
Mike Lowell
Code cards
Jon Lester
Jacoby Ellsbury
Gold Cards -Superstars
Jon Lester
Jacoby Ellsbury
Silver Foil-Hot streak
Josh Beckett
David Ortiz
Jason Bay
Dustin Pedroia
Victor Martinez

The first five 'Volcano' packs:

Pack 1:
Luis Castillo Mets
Adam Jones Orioles
Justin Upton D-backs
David Price Bay Rays
Erik Bedard Mariners

Carlos Quentin White Sox
Pablo Sandoval Giants code card
Roy Halladay Philles Hot Streak

Pack 2:
Billy Butler Royals
Randy Winn Giants
Derek Jeter Yankees
Adam LaRouche Braves
Alexei Ramirez White Sox
Felix Hernanadez Mariners
CC Sabathia Yankees code card
Alex Rodriguez Yankees Superstar Pack 3:
Carlos Lee Astros
Roy Oswalt Astros
Chris Young D-backs
Lance Berkman Astros
Mariano Rivera Yankees
Gordon Beckham White Sox
Ichiro Mariners code card
Scott Feldman Rangers Hot Streak

Pack 4:
Heath Bell Padres
Geovany Soto Cubs
Miguel Tejada Astros
Albert Pujols Cardinals
Chone Figgins Mariners
Skip Schumaker Cardinals
Derek Jeter Yankees code card
Grady Sizemore Indians Superstar

Pack 5:
Jose Reyes Mets
Aaron Hill Blue Jays
Eric Byrnes D-backs
Jhonny Peralta Indians
Justin Masterson Indians
Dioner Navarro Bay Rays
Lance Berkman Astros code card
Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox Superstar

Not much in the way of Red Sox from these five packs and I thought I would go 'sox-less' until the final pack. The Red Sox was none other than Jacoby Ellsbury and he was a SUPERSTAR.

2010 Topps Heritage baseball Uno

2010-05-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

The first 4 jumbo packs of 2010 Heritage from the recently gifted haul. There are quite a numbers of bloggers attempting to collect the base set, which shows how popular this Topps brand is. My Welsh friend Tony is also collecting this set, including the inserts, hopefully there are a few to help him complete the goal.

I am also a Heritage fan. Topps do a great job of replicating the look and feel of the original sets and this year is no exception. The original '61 set is a beauty.

However much I like it, I will still only be collecting the Red Sox cards of which there are 24. Which is a fair few cards compared to other teams, only topped by the Phillies with 27 and the Yankees with a staggering 41!

Tony was kind enough to send his spare Red Sox which leaves only these 14 left to collect;

81 Dustin Richardson RC
99 Jed Lowrie
173 Boston Speed Party - Dustin Pedroia & Jacoby Ellsbury
221 Terry Francona
261 David Ortiz
302 Adrian Beltre
316 Kevin Youkilis
371 Victor Martinez
376 Marco Scutaco
386 Tim Wakefield
421 Dustin Pedroia
457 J.D. Drew SP
476 Dustin Pedroia - 2005 AL MVP SP
491 Jason Bay AS SP

The jumbo packs contain 14 cards and a stick of revolting tasting gum of epic proportions (possibly from '61 as well).

Jumbo 1:

#17 Checklist 1st series

#58 Ryan Dempster Cubs

#77 J.A.Happ Phillies

#86 Los Angeles Dodgers

#105 Tim Hudson Braves

#139 Tony La Russa Cardinals

#185 John Danks White Sox

#257 Carlos Quentin White Sox

#260 Manny Ramirez Dodgers

#292 Jhoulyns Chacin Rockies

#309 Game 4 2009 World Series

#325 Brett Gardner Yankees

#346 Akinori Iwamura Pirates

#500 Francisco Rodriguez Mets SP

Jumbo 2:

#7 Chicago White Sox

#83 Rick Porcello Tigers

#118 Yadier Molina Cardinals

#128 Jacoby Ellsbury Red Sox

#177 Trevor Cahill Athletics

#201 Josh Beckett - Johan Santana

#243 Adam Lind Blue Jays

#272 Roy Oswalt Astros

#308 Game 3 2009 World Series

#327 Henry Rodriguez Athletics

#347 St Louis Cardinals

#371 Victor Martinez Red Sox

#382 Hunter Pence Astros

#445 Chris Volstad Marlins SP

Jumbo 3:

#35 Gordon Beckham White Sox

#36 Glen Perkins Twins

#94 Zack Greinke Royals

#98 Checklist 2nd series

#106 Scott Hairston Padres

#148 Chris Getz Royals

#163 Jeff Mathis Angels

#170 Alex Rios White Sox

#208 Jorge Cantu Marlins

#209 Eric Young Jr. Rockies

#225 Mike Scioscia Angels

#293 Felix Hernandez Mariners

#411 Yankees Core Four

#BT9 Al Kaline Tigers

Jumbo 4:

#1 Albert Pujols Cardinals

#4 Delmon Young Twins

#51 Detroit Tigers

#65 Paul Konerko White Sox

#106 Scott Hairston Padres

#112 Adam Everett Tigers

#130 James Loney Dodgers

#145 Jair Jurrjens Braves

#163 Jeff Mathis Angels

#209 Eric Young Jr. Rockies

#283 Cleveland Indians

#312 Hideki Matsui MVP World Series

#335 Carlos Gonzalez Rockies

#NT9 Vostok 1

A pretty poor showing for the Red Sox. Three Red Sox in one jumbo, a Jacoby Ellsbury to boot, which I already had (Sods law).

1982 Donruss Baseball

2010-04-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

A further year on from the conclusion of the Topps monopoly. Red Sox from Fleer and Donruss from 1982 continue to evade. I still need 24 Red Sox from the 27 that were produced. The numbers still needed are;
7, 30, 74, 82, 109, 156, 200, 208, 235, 260, 326, 334, 361, 386, 408, 452, 460, 487, 512, 540, 560, 564, 608, 632.

This pack from Big B a while ago. There are 15 cards and 3 puzzle pieces per pack, which is Babe Ruth.

The pack:

#195 Don Zimmer Rangers Manager

#206 Moose Hass Brewers

#357 Steve Stone Orioles

#369 Jim Essian White Sox

#381 Ernie Whitt Blue Jays

#392 Stan Bahnsen Expos

#404 Ken Oberkfell Cardinals

#425 Rick Rhoden Pirates

#434 John Stearns Mets

#446 Elias Sosa Expos

#470 Damaso Garcia Blue Jays

#490 Jim Wright Royals

#502 Jason Thompson Pirates

#513 Gene Nelson Yankees

Checklist 1-20

puzzle piece 55, 56, 57

Not a sausage. Not even close. Head shots and close-ups appear to be the order of the day in this set. Interesting fact Moose Hass is really Bryan Edmund Hass.

2010 Topps Opening day

2010-04-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

There is a minority of collectors who like the 'Opening Day' brand of Topps. I put myself amongst them. An added bonus is that this years Opening Day has a Jacoby Ellsbury card.
The Red Sox base cards to collect are:

#17 Victor Martinez

#28 John Lackey
#75 Jason Bay
#93 Josh Beckett
#120 Kevin Youkilis
#138 David Ortiz
#157 Daisuke Matsuzaka
#172 Jacoby Ellsbury
#183 Jon Lester
#187 Dustin Pedroia

The inserts include:

Topps Attax #ODTA11 Josh Beckett
Topps Town Stars #TTS5 David Ortiz
Mascots #M4 Wally the Green Monster

Each of the base cards has a blue parallel numbered to 2010.

I was fortunate enough to obtain 6 packs.

Pack 1:

#5 Ted Lilley Cubs

#50 Justin Masterson Indians

#71 Vernon Wells Blue Jays

#75 Jason Bay Red Sox

#76 Kendry Morales Angels

#100 Neftali Feliz Rangers

#127 Scott Kazmir Angels

Pack 2:

#10 Felipe Lopez Brewers

#37 Cole Hamels Phillies

#54 Jorge Posada Yankees

#107 Bengie Molina Giants

#144 Roy Oswalt Astros

#187 Dustin Pedroia Red Sox

#M18 Pirate Parrot

Pack 3:

#16 Aubrey Huff Tigers

#28 John Lackey Red Sox

#38 Adrian Gonzalez Padres

#142 Jose Reyes Mets

#145 Alfonso Soriano Cubs

#153 Chris Carpenter Cardinals

#TTS16 Prince Fielder Brewers

Pack 4:

#27 Billy Butler Royals

#49 Scott Hairston Athletics

#75 Jason Bay Red Sox blue 1900/2010
#125 Elvis Andrus Rangers

#137 Mark Reynolds D-backs

#213 Ian Desmond Nationals

#M2 Atlanta Braves

Pack 5:

#46 Jon Garland Dodgers

#70 Jeff Niemann Bay Rays

#87 Mat Latos Padres

#89 Roy Halladay Phillies

#94 Kelly Shoppach Bay Rays

#215 Chris Pettit Angels

#SC10 Aramis Ramirez Cubs

Pack 6:

#11 Tommy Hanson Braves

#68 Yunel Escobar Braves

#101 Ian Stewart Rockies

#148 Michael Cuddyer Twins

#155 Jake Peavy White Sox

#164 Kosuke Fukedome Cubs

#3/10 Bazooka Joe Miguel Cabrera Tigers

Not bad and it started out very well - 4 Red Sox in as many packs, including a nicely rounded (#1900/2010) Jason Bay blue parallel.

2010 Topps Baseball series 1

2010-04-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Seven more packs from the wonderful Alley family, again in trade for some Match Attax packs for their Everton mad son. I have always contemplated collecting a whole insert set. I tried collecting the Historical Moments inserts from 2009 A Piece of History, but I fell far short. 2010 Topps is so full of inserts it isn't a challenge to get at least 1, 2 or 3 per pack, so maybe there is an insert to collect in here...

Pack 1:

#2 Buster Posey Giants

#48 Joey Votto Reds

#73 NL Leaders

#114 Chris Iannetta Rockies

#165 Brandon Phillips Reds
#218 Fernando Martinez Mets
#220 Randy Johnson Giants

#245 Lance Berkman Astros

#298 Orioles

#CMT37 Nolan Ryan 1988 Topps

#TTT4 Adrian Gonzalez Padres

#TOG25 Ortiz's Jersey - really? This isn't a joke?

Pack 2:

#38 Astros

#95 Carl Crawford Bay Rays

#118 Brandon Morrow Mariners

#124 Rickie Weeks Brewers

#157 Mike Sweeney Mariners

#209 Alexei Ramirez White Sox

#231 Luke Scott Orioles

#282 Nationals

#292 Tommy Manzella Astros

#FCTTT4 Adrian Gonzalez Padres
#PP22 George Sisler StLouis Browns

#9/45 Jimmie Foxx 1951 Red Back mini

Pack 3:

#106 NL Leaders

#127 Hank Blalock Rangers

#159 Vernon Wells Blue Jays
#210 Josh Beckett Red Sox

#239 Juan Uribe Giants

#285 Kurt Suzuki Athletics

#289 Lyle Overbay Blue Jays

#294 Adam Dunn Nationals
#315 Scott Kazmir Angels

#CMT41 Manny Ramirez 1992 Topps

#TTT12 Miguel Tejada Astros

#TOG The Great Ham-Bino

Pack 4:

#56 Andy Pettitte Yankees

#103 Daniel Murphy Mets

#115 Gordon Beckham White Sox

#150 Joe Mauer Twins

#182 Coco Crisp Royals

#187 Will Venable Padres

#263 Placido Polanco Tigers

#276 Matt Lindstrom Marlins

#301 Jack Cust Athletics

#HOTG3 National League created 1876

#TTT4 Adrian Gonzalez Padres
#WTWY David Wright Mets

Pack 5:

#34 Michael Dunn Yankees

#95 Carl Crawford Bay Rays
#124 Rickie Weeks Brewers

#149 Jose Guillen Royals

#154 Pedro Feliz Phillies

#157 Mike Sweeney Mariners

#163 Josh Butler Brewers

#219 Kevin Hart Pirates

#270 Michael Brantley Indians

#CMT43 Tony Gwynn 1994 Topps

#TOG Ozzie Smith 'Flips Out'

#TTT13 Ryan Howard Phillies

Pack 6:

#12 Doug Davis D-backs

#19 Felipe Lopez Brewers

#25 Adam Jones Orioles

#90 Ian Kinsler Rangers

#205 Chris Coghlan Marlins

#232 Cardinals

#236 Andrew Bailey Athletics

#238 Ian Stewart Rockies

#287 Jhonny Peralta Indians

#LL3 Ruth/Rodriguez

#TR8 Tommy Hanson Braves

#TTT19 Justin Upton D-backs

Pack 7:

#20 Tommy Hanson Braves

#26 Zach Duke Pirates

#146 Yunel Escobar Braves

#151 Mat Gamel Brewers

#199 Mariners

#235 Neftali Feliz Rangers

#248 Jason Kendall Brewers

#265 Angels

#304 Adam LaRouche Braves

#PP12 Lou Gehrig Yankees

#TTT18 Vladimir Guerrero Angels

#8/45 Marianl Rivera 1951 Red back mini

A solo Red Sox (and nil Dodgers, that is unusual) and a Red Sox inserts. Help me out here. Did someone really bury a Red Sox jersey in the Yankees Stadium? How long (and how much!)did they spend trying to find the buried jersey?

2007 Bowman Heritage baseball

2010-02-20T04:32:00.000-08:00

A while back in 2006 before I had entered the world of blogging I made a decision to shave down my collection. I found a number of trading sites, Hobby Kings, The Bench and Sportscard Forum and then Sports Card Collectors UK. This was a (very) small band of US sports collectors in the UK. Most were basketball collectors, myself and one other collector were baseball. Our small band grew well into double figures, the dizzy heights of 30. There was about 8 of us who were regulars, so an idea was hatched to start some group breaks. The first baseball break we did was a blaster of this product 2007 Bowman Heritage. It was meant to be a box of cards but there was mix-up in communication. I gave up any hits for all the Red Sox, which ended up being very few. There were quite a few basketball group breaks but I just found no interest. I did notice though that the game used cards and autos were outstanding. Two boxes of 2008 Goudey were the next baseball group break but after that things turned a bit sour. The administrator of the forum, a guy called Jo, who had organised the breaks very fairly and smoothly, suddenly had difficulty with purchasing the boxes and went AWOL. We had organised a Mayo football group break, I liked the look of this product and was interested to see what we pulled. It never happened and he still has my money, Bastard. He continued to post his breaks on you-tube under the pseudonym of UKcardcollector and I pestered him politely for a while until he stopped posting, Bastard. I learnt a valuable lesson, always pay through paypal which I did at first then didn't have enough in my account so posted cash-idiot.
So unfortunately whenever I see 2007 Bowman heritage and 2008 Mayo I get a sour taste in my mouth, which is a pity because they are both very nice sets.
I still need 3 cards and 2 short printed variations to complete the Red Sox team set. They are;

#37 J.D. Drew
#41 Josh Beckett
#109 Curt Schilling
#243b Hideki Okajima SP
#250b Daisuke Matsuzaka SP

The pack:
#14 Mike Lowell Red Sox

#22 Michael Young Rangers

#47 Mark Teixeira Rangers

#71 Gary Mathews Angels

#220 Jeff Baker Rockies

#228 Elijah Dukes Bay Rays refractor

1/3 Checklist

#BHP28 Bryan Byrne D-backs

#BHP48 Donald Fines Bay Rays

One Red Sox but I already have it.

2007 Upper Deck baseball

2010-02-19T04:31:00.000-08:00

Almost unnoticeable on this pack are the words 'retail' meaning that it is available at both hobby and big chain stores, rather than just through the hobby shop. Or does it mean much more? Is there a better chance of pulling a parallel, a jersey or an auto rather than a mass of base cards. That being said, this is first edition, so no autos or jersey inserts anyway. What was included was a number of inserts roughly 1 per pack- so set builders, team collectors or those of us after a quick fix may well be happy.
I still need 8 of the 11 cards from the Red Sox set;

#4 Devern Hansack RC
#59 Manny Ramirez
#61 Alex Cora
#62 Trot Nixon
#63 Doug Mirabelli
#64 Curt Schilling

#65 Jonathan Papelbon
#66 Craig Hansen

The pack:

#25 Dennis Sarfate Brewers

#73 Jose Contreras White Sox

#139 Chris Snelling Mariners

#140 Cha Seung Baek Mariners

#153 Jerry Hairston Rangers

#177 Chipper Jones Braves
#233 Greg Maddux Padres

#247 Lastings Milledge Mets

#259 Freddy Sanchez Pirates

#FPF-AM Andrew Miller Tigers

There is the one insert and no Red Sox. The photography in this set is first rate and I actually prefer the matt finish on the First Edition than the gloss on Series 1 and 2.

Would anyone like some Red Sox cards?

2010-02-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

Half-term holiday this week, which means that Sunday isn't as hectic as it usually is. In our house Sunday ends up being a homework day for the children, my wife and me. Planning for the week ahead.
Today has been very different, the girls spent most of the day playing with a large box. It was a house, a cave, momentarily a trap, but it spent most of the day full of cushions and blankets. The boys played Paper Mario on the Wii, read for a while, annoyed their sisters and went back to Mario. My wife Tina read and was occasionally called upon to move a large cardboard box somewhere else. I was able to do some card sorting.

I have accumulated a heafty pile of cards but not had the time to sort through them for trade. The bulk of the cards are Red Sox. Adam from Thought and Sox sent a large selection of Red Sox my way recently, so there are some from his wants list on the way. A few from Shoebox Legends wants list, but there is still loads of 2009, 2008, 2007 Red Sox cards (a few earlier too) looking for a home.

Anyone else collect Red Sox?

2009 Bowman baseball

2010-02-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

The final pack from Mark, then it is onto the book he included ' The Teammates' by David Halberstam.
There are only one card I need to complete the Red Sox set, which is;

188 Kevin Youkilis

The Pack:

#47 Mike Jacobs Royals

#58 James Shields Bay Rays

#143 Lance Berkman Astros

#159 Shane Victorion Phillies

#190 Kosuke Fukudome Cubs

#BP59 Parker Frazier Rockies

#BP59 Parker Frazier Rockies gold border

#BP89 Bryan Petersen Marlins

#BCP9 Kevin De La Cruz Indians

#BCP116 Javier Rodriguez Mets auto

So there you have it. No Red Sox but an auto from an autograph collector. I wonder how often the gold border and base card are included in the same pack!

2007 Fleer baseball

2010-02-13T03:39:00.000-08:00

How fickle we can be as collectors. I really loved the 2006 Fleer design but wasn't moved by the 2007 design. The photography is excellent all the examples I have seen are close-up action shots, the inserts are nice and shiny, 2 rookies per pack. What's not to like? See fickle.
This pack comes form the generous Alley family in North Carolina.

There are still 12 cards I need to complete the Red Sox team set;
#166 Julio Lugo
#277 Josh Beckett
#279 Kevin Youkilis
#280 Jason Varitek
#281 Manny Ramirez
#282 Curt Schilling
#283 Jon Lester
#284 Jonathan Papelbon
#286 Mike Lowell a
#374 David Ortiz CL
#404 Daisuke Matsuzaka RC
#405 Hideki Okajima RC

The Pack:

#8 Jose Vidro Mariners

#29 Gary Matthews Angels

#130 Lastings Milledge Mets

#186 Joey Gathright Royals

#286 Mike Lowell Red Sox

#269 Aramis Ramirez Cubs

#333 Jerry Owens White Sox

#369 Joaquin Arias Rangers

#IZ-VG Vladimir Guerrero Angels

#RS-CH Cole Hamels Phillies

Nice one, a Red Sox and needed. Still think this is an above average set just not to my liking.

2009 O-Pee-Chee baseball

2010-02-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

Another two packs of the controversial OPC cards by Upper Deck. There are still quite a few that I need to complete the Red Sox base set and this doesn't include the black border variation.

Still needed are:

#7 J.D. Drew
#34 Takashi Saito
#150 Dustin Pedroia
#180 Josh Beckett
#192 Hideki Okajima
#236 Brad Penny
#239 Mike Lowell
#370 David Ortiz
#392 Tim Wakefield
#406 Jason Varitek
#456 John Smoltz
#502 Boston Red Sox CL
#550 Jonathan Papelbon
#553 Kevin Youkilis

Pack 1:

#87 Andy Pettitte Yankees

#93 Aubrey Huff Orioles black border

#299 Jon Rauch D-backs

#264 Mike Adams Padres

#529 Angels checklist

#548 Padres moments

Pack 2:

#41 Xavier Nady Yankees

#44 Gabe Gross Bay Rays

#195 Geovany Soto Cubs

#285 Josh Johnson Marlins

#571 Scott Elbert Dodgers black border

#1138 20th Century Denver Broncos

What no Red Sox? Not a great deal to say about this set, it was fairly mediocre. It has a vintage type of feel and the photography is pretty good. But I'm not sure I would go for the complete set. I read the Padres moments card with interest, the Padres wore a camouflage kit in a game vs the Tigers in June 2008 to honour US troops. I wonder if these kits were available to purchase on the day?

2009 Allen+Ginter baseball

2010-02-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

Three packs of 2009 Allen+Ginter from Mark. This is a really nice set to collect, great quality card and impressive pictures. No surprise it was voted product of the year in Stale Gum's 'Gummies' .
There are only 3 cards that I still need to complete the Red Sox base set. That doesn't include minis or crack the code variations.

#185 Dustin Pedroia
#279 Jon Lester a
#285 George Kottaras (RC)

Let's see what we can get from the three packs:

Pack1:

#64 Jordan Zimmermann Nationals

#114 Hideki Matsui Yankees

#126 Trevor Crowe Indians

#171 Brett Anderson Athletics

#319 Gary Sheffield Mets

#AGHS23 Brad Lidge Phillies

#NP15 Jorge Posada Yankees

#48 Brigham Young 'Colonizer' mini

Pack 2:

#36 Joba Chamberlain Yankees

#94 Paul Maholm Pirates

#121 Ryan Church Mets

#142 Lashawn Merritt

#239 Chris Carpenter Cardinals

#248 Colby Rasmus Cardinals

#NP14 Francisco Rodriguez Mets

#293 Ian Snell Pirates mini A+G back

Pack 3:

#45 Derrek Lee Cubs

#251 Carl Crawford Bay Rays

#279 Jon Lester Red Sox

#298 Dan Harden D-backs

#321 Kelly Shoppach Indians

#AGHS1 Aaron Boone Yankees

#NP72 Edgar Gonzalez Padres

#332 Curtis Granderson Tigers mini

Thats the way to do it. A single Red Sox but one that is needed.