SCU Breaks: Exquisite Box Cards Have Shipped

Just wanted to let you know that all of the Exquisite cards are in the mail and you should be receiving notifications if you hit a card. They should be getting to you within the week or early next week at the latest. Let me know if something happens that doesnt seem right.

Also, ScubaSteve won the Triple Autograph in the random. Sorry Nick, but he did have two of the teams on the card. If you care, video will be up tonight when I get home from work.

Thanks guys!

2005 Artifacts May Be My Favorite Baseball Set Of All Time

Dont get me started on the value of busting this product, but I love so many of the cards from this set that I wish more of it were surfacing lately. See, the issue with this set is that boxes of 2005 Artifacts could be some of the worst box breaks known to man. However, if you hit a biggie like the Mauer I just bought, you may have one of the sexiest cards produced in the modern era.

The problem with 2005 Artifacts was that it was as much of a checklist poop as it was an on-card auto mecca. Some of the autographs from this set were so bad that they bordered on insanity. A while ago I covered some of the cards, including a relief pitcher that only made like 8 big league appearances before cashing in the chips. Cards like that are the reason that no one would pay the price tag of 100 bucks a box. Also, because the good ones were so rare, its like UD knew what was going to happen and designed them as gods among men. Trust me, do some searching, you will see what I mean.

Despite the lack of a good checklist for half the set, people like my man Billy Packer saw the diamond in the rough. In fact, for that favorite Mauer patch set of mine, he has collected over 80% of the whole thing, including hard to get ones like Jeter and Griffey. As with most tough tasks in the hobby, he has hit a roadblock on the remaining cards he doesnt have yet. That means that if you are at the national, send him a PM at FCB if you see one he doesnt have. I know he would greatly appreciate it.

Of course, that patch set isnt the only amazing part of the product, either. It is filled to the brim with jersey button/laundry tag/on card autos, as well a many other dreams for player collectors and team collectors alike.

Listen, I know the product in general has a ton of down points, but the highlights are too beautiful to ignore.

A Comment On VOTC's National Show Coverage

The National is nigh, and Rob from VOTC has posted a great guide to making it the card show experience of your life. I do have a few things to add, as I see it a little differently than most of the others out there. Obviously, I cant go due to having to work this weekend and being across the country, but I hope a lot of you do. It looks like a lot of fun, and you are really going to have to watch your wallet.

Before you go splurge on your future collection centerpieces, remember that eBay is still the best way to get cards, hands down. Even though this show will pretty much have everything you could ever need, its still a show. Also remember that when you go from table to table, the prices are still show prices, and that most of the regular cards wont be worth your time unless you are trading your stuff away. Even in that case, I would probably wait before handing your collection to a dealer booth, as they will only give you trade values based on them making money(we all know what that means).

What I would suggest is trying to find those cards that wont be available anywhere else. You know there are going to be some ridiculous cards, in a good way, and this may be your time to A) see what is out there B) window shop and C) secure some nice rarities and oddballs. Other than that, I would be very careful if you are going to buy mid to high end stuff at show prices.

Second, the manufacturers booths are the way to go as Rob said. They have awesome giveaways and ways to get free stuff. If you do one thing at the show, its go to these booths.

In terms of buying versus trading, this is a show that has thousands of collectors there for one reason. I would not hesitate to set up some trades with collectors instead of the dealers, as you know that they don’t have to pay overhead for booth space. I have heard so many amazing stories of trades that go down, and I assume that if you look, you should be able to find a lot of the action.

Another great thing is the case breaks that go down, because as you can imagine, collectors from all walks of life will be there. Last year I heard there were so many Cup and Exquisite breaks that they almost devoted a whole room to the people who spend 20K and break it all there. Keep your eyes out as you may see something that you will never be able to see again in that respect. Also, many of these people bust for stuff to sell at the show, so it’s a good chance that you would be able to work out a deal for any card they pull. Not always, but I got an email from a guy last year who said he purchased a Brady Quinn Exquisite Patch Rookie Auto for 20 bucks. The scan alone was worth that.

Of course, Beckett will be there, and they are going to be surrounded by everything that makes them the devil in this industry. They surely will grade your cards on the spot, and they will also have something called "Raw Card Review" like they do at every show. It is the biggest rip off ever created, don’t fall for it. RCR is basically them stealing your money, as they take a quick look at your unslabbed card and give it an "expected" grade. The problem is that these grades are NOT guaranteed to transfer to a slab and are not held with the same premium as the regular slabs. It will still cost you a long wait and some cash you could spend elsewhere. Also, there will be about 100,000 cards they will need to slab in three days, so the attention your card will get will be minimal compared to the regular process. This could work to your advantage, but it could also screw you out of getting a deserved higher grade. I don’t support grading at all, but if you have to do it, wait for better ways, or don’t request on the spot service.

With Beckett, they seem to think that the people at the National justify a lot of their horrible existence, but you will see why I have some of the problems I do with their practices, just from observing their booth. From what I have heard from my industry sources, there may be Panini reps AT the Beckett booth, and many of the Beckett giveaways will be Panini in nature. No surprise there. Either way, I am confident that Tracy Hackler will be sure to give his report of how much positive feedback they get at the show, but as an enlightened collector, I would stay far away from anything they have to offer. That is, unless you actually want to be surrounded by a bunch of price guide thumping idiots who want to suckle at the teat of the hobby's number one source on douchebaggery. Really, I'm sure there will be enough price guide propaganda outside of the area around their station, as this show will probably be ripe with JCs who don’t know anything about the sheer stupidity of everything Beckett preaches.

Also, Blowout and DACardworld are going to be there and they always have some sweet deals on wax. If you are looking for older stuff, or stuff that has been out for a few years even, check out the booths, they will have some rock bottom prices.

Just be sure to remember that it may be the national, but its still a card show. It will be a blast even if you don’t buy anything, so don’t think you are wasting time and money if you just go there to see the gathering. I think that because so many of your contacts from the blogs and the message boards will be there, it would be a great way to put some faces and personalities to the names. Keep your eyes peeled for good deals, and avoid tables with price guides sitting in prominent places.

Most importantly, send me the pictures!!

1,000 Posts: Proof of My Craziness

This post is SCU's 1000th post, and to me that is the craziest thing in the world. To tell you the truth, I couldn't believe it when I saw what was about to happen. Think about it, this blog was started in late March 2008, meaning there have been around 475 days of SCU existence, give or take. That also means there have been about 2.1 posts per day since inception, though the number is possibly deflated because I don't usually post on the weekends. Either way, that's a lot of work and time I have spent on this site, and I want to reinforce my appreciation for the opportunity to stick around.

Although the hobby impact of this blog has been largely unseen, I have to hobnobbed with some of the big wigs around the industry, spoken with a few NFL players, talked to a baseball player or two, corresponded with a guitar hero, and made many new friends - all thanks to the blog. Although it has taken thousands of hours to produce, those things definitely make every word I type worthwhile to me.

I'm not sure I expect myself to be around the scene a few years from now, but who knows? I didn't expect this site to last this long, either. Regardless of my intentions, I would like to thank you, the reader, for sticking with me. Love me or hate me, you make this site possible, and you have my gratitude, even you want to send me needless piles of email about my lack of control at a buffet.

Here's to another 1000 posts!

SCU Breaks: Exquisite Cards Being Shipped Tomorrow

This is just a reminder that I will be shipping everything tomorrow to the people who got the cards. I will also random off the triple auto later today for the people that had the Packers, Cowboys and Bills, so check back if you are one of those people.

Thanks again for all your participation, Ill be doing another break soon.

Player Collecting And Survival

There are a lot of player collectors in this hobby, myself included. Personally, its the only way I can stay sane, because if chased after everything from a team or a college, I would be broke. Same with set collecting, its tough to devote the time for trading and watching eBay. However, that isnt a bad thing in any way. If you are one of those team or set collectors, you have my kudos for your dedication.

Despite the sheer number of ways to collect, I get a lot of emails from fledgling player collecting that ask where to start. Its easy to see why that is a big problem for people who dont know much about the hobby, as the number of options out there can be tough to decipher.

First, and most importantly for player collectors, you need your player's rookie card. Its tough to identify with a collection unless you see that rookie card in there. Of course, that may not be possible with some of the older, more expensive players, but for the modern guys, it shouldnt be too hard to find an affordable one. For me, I always get the Topps Chrome offering, as it is the one I have always gone after since the inception of the brand. If there isnt a Topps Chrome card for your guy, due to age of the player or otherwise, eBay is always a good place to look for one that looks the best for you. Take someone like Jared Allen, a guy who doesnt have many cards, especially from his rookie year. When I started to collect him, I had to do some research before I found out that the 2005 Score auto was the only early card worth going after for him, as Rookie cards were scarce for him. The 2004 Bowman card didnt seem like a good bet for a nice rookie centerpiece, so I had to get the auto as my staple. Yes, I know its a second year, but its all I cared about.

The second thing I think you need as a player collector, is a good auto centerpiece. In my mind, there is nothing better than Exquisite or National Treasures for that card, although the money may be a deterrant. I would say that if you can afford it, go straight for the on card auto out of one of these sets. If not, the next level of cards would come from SP Authentic, and luckily, there are a lot of on card subsets to chase from the product. The design is always great, and the autos are usually a great piece for many player collectors. They also have VERY few parallels, meaning that the numbering on those cards is legit, unlike sets like Triple Threads.

Also, if you see that auto cards are out of your price range, auto'ed memorabilia is actually a great alternative. Most 8x10's are great for framing and mini helmets can look amazing on a shelf. They also cost a lot less than many of the top RC autos, which is great. I know those mini helmets are always a priority for every player I collect. The thing I would watch out for are fakes, as signed memorabilia is always a risk if you didnt see the guy sign the item himself.

Many player collectors also love 1/1s, especially if they have a league or team logo on it. I think that certain 1/1s are definitely worth your time, but I would watch out for others. For instance, if you have the cash to go after a logo patch card, go for it, but if its a printing plate, leave it alone. Printing plates rarely hold value, you have to pay a lot for some of them, and in my opinion, they are some of the ugliest pieces of shit out there. Save your money for other stuff, especially when you find out that most printing plates arent 1/1s, more like 1/4s due to the colors needed to print a card. Topps, UD and others number them 1/1s to hook you in to buying more product. If they make the chase easier to catch, people buy more - right Moments and Milestones?

Many player collectors also delve into super collecting, a practice where they try to get one of everything for a certain player. I really dont think this a good idea due to the number of cards and 1/1s that players have, so its better to just focus on what you like. I kind of relate super collecting to Heroin Hero from South Park, as you chase the dragon forever but never catch it. Instead of super collecting, I would rather suggest saving your money up and buying a game used item like a jersey, or going hardcore for a nice autographed item like a bat or football. If memorabilia is not your thing, there is always bigger and better. There is not a good reason to try to get every base Topps card parallel if you hate the cards. Go after something you like.

Lastly, you really should go after anything that catches your eye, but dont go busting wax to find it. The way to find it is to set up searches under "my eBay" by clicking the "save this search" at the top of search result pages on the site. You can then receive daily email notification under the settings that are customized to whatever you are looking for.What I do is I break the searches down by the categories on the side of the page to avoid general results. If you are looking for a certain card, this can be a great way to be alerted. For me, I am a huge fan of many of the late year Upper Deck broducts because I see them to be the best designed and the most valuable football products there are. I set up my searches when the products come out, and buy the ones I think look cool.

Overall, player collecting is a great way to get going in a hobby. It gives you a specific target to branch out from, and really gives you a great idea of the true value of certain products without having to monitor a ton of cards on eBay or scanning tons of message boards for trade requests. Most of the time, barring extenuating circumstances like extreme SPs, if a card for your guy is worth more in one set than another, those values should hold for the rest of the players too. Keep your head on a swivel and try to become very familiar with your likes and dislikes so that you can learn to avoid scams and problems. Of course, you can always look for answers here and on the other blogs too. We are always happy to help.

This Just Made My Day!

I just found out that someone has actually taken the time to start a blog as a rebuttal to SCU. That is too awesome for words. Im truly flattered, and very curious as to why someone has that much time on their hands.

I guess one has done something right when they have pissed off a guy so much, they start something completely devoid of any other purpose than to criticize every word you say. I love it!

I mean, I would completely understand if this person started a blog to post stuff contrary to the opinions I state, but to piggyback on my stuff? He must be really desperate for a gimmick to get visitors. Eh, ill stop feeding the Troll, I'm sure they have enough ammo already with 998 posts and counting.

One thing though. Since this person breaks everything down paragraph by paragraph, I guess I now need to put apostrophes in everything if I want to avoid those arrogant (sic)s they use for some reason. I didnt (sic) know that missing contraction marks were such a big deal to the grammar police. They must be a captain or something.

Well, if you hate me and this site, this new blog is your Graceland. Have a good time. Tell 'em I sent you.

The Thrill Of The Chase

Over the last year, I have been wanting a certain Joe Mauer card that could not have been tougher to find. Since I had been looking for it, the card had only come up for auction twice. It didnt go for a whole lot of money last time, but this time I knew things had changed. Being in the midst of the best season of his career, Mauer's cards have gone fucking nuts. In the last auction, the card went for about 40 bucks, and I was quite anxious in waiting for this one to end.

The other issue that I have been contemplating is the locations of the auctions. Both times they have been in Taiwan, which prevented me from buying the first time around. In my mind, Taiwan is the land where crazy, crazy shit happens when it comes to cards. The comfort is that this time, the seller has 100% feedback, and I have some money from some stuff I returned at the mall today. Good for me to take a chance on it.

As the auction wound down earlier tonight, my hopes pf landing this whale started to slip away. Fifty dollars, sixty dollars, seventy dollars all came and went in the final hours. Since my budget was a c-note, I started sweating bullets about how much this could end for. When the final seconds ticked away, I entered my bid and won my prize by 1 cent. Yes, it came down to a penny, Im completely serious.

Despite the huge win, the water isnt calm quite yet.

First, I wont feel comfortable with someone shipping from Taiwan until I have the card in my hands. To help qualm any fear I have over the package, I will be videotaping the opening after I saw that one vid of the destroyed empty package on Youtube. I know I am generalizing about a seemingly harmless seller, but I cant be too careful with this much money on the line.

Secondly, the patch is pretty nice, which makes me question whether this card is truly "real." I do have comfort in some of the other cards that I have seen from this product, but these days you never know. Thank you to the douchebag patch fakers for that paranoia. With things the way they are, I could easily get the card and see it split down the side. That would make me more angry than you could imagine, though it is highly unlikely to happen.

Lastly, the sig is seemingly quite faded on this card, meaning it may be hazardous to display in a room that gets a little sunlight. Maybe its just the large scan, but I am very worried that I might be getting a poor example of this card. Worse come to worse, I could always re-sell. Yet, as a player collector with a chance to pick up a REALLY nice piece, I cant help the happiness over my find. I guess this is the plight of someone like me.

Now what am I going to chase?

Uncovering Bias - My "Undying Love" For Upper Deck?

Ive noticed that my "bias" for UD seems to be the focus of every criticism of this blog, so Im happy to address it while its an issue for people.

First off, before I start the discussion, I want to say that there will always be bias on this blog. Always. The reason for this is because everything I write is opinion, nothing more. It just so happens that those opinions seem to have many hobby-wide ripples among people who frequent the blog, but they remain my feelings and my feelings only. This blog never has and never will be objective. You should all know that by now.

Now, people seem to be a little disturbed by the fact that most of the negative remarks here on the blog are in reference to Topps and Donini rather than Upper Deck. My detractors seem to think this is because im in bed with UD or because they are more responsive than other companies. They are partially correct, UD is very much more communicative, yet my gain is nothing from the stuff I say. I get nothing for SCU from any company, despite the number of offers.

In regards to the responsiveness that UD has to many collectors, including myself, I dont see why I shouldnt let that change the field a little. How is transparency a bad thing? I mean, if I have a problem, I have the ability to talk to someone who makes the decisions! That is great no matter how you slice it. How much would you love to talk to Apple about their decision to re-release the iPhone 3G less than a year after you paid 300 for the original? What if you could talk to Microsoft directly about the XBOX's red ring of death? Wouldnt that make it easier to form an opinion about things? Ill tell you, it makes forming opinions a lot easier when you know someone cares and is listening. That will never be a negative.

Its not that I havent given Topps and Donini the chance, either. When I first started SCU, Scott Prusha of Donini was the first of the manufacturers to contact me about something I said. I was excited for the prospects of speaking with the man, but I was quickly disappointed. During my interview, instead of answering the tough questions, he pushed me away with "no comments" and the like. In fact, Topps didnt even respond to my initial interview request!

On the other side of things, UD came at me with a completely different approach. Gregg proceeded to answer every single question I had with reckless abandon, no matter how poorly his answers reflected on the company. He wanted me to be content with the info I wanted, and has never had a problem giving insight into the business. What about Topps and Donini? I havent heard boo from them since.

Does this mean that I wont bash UD for their stupidity? Never. I will not ever be shy to tell you guys what I actually think. The problem is, UD doesnt make a fourth of the mistakes that the other companies do. This may equivocate a bias in many people's mind, but Im okay with that. Those sentiments come with the territory.

Despite what people actually think, the idea of the blog continues to stand true. Basically, if you fuck up, im going to be there to call you on it. Unfortunately for everyone, Donini and Topps happen to fuck up a lot, that means a lot of negative opinions here on SCU. It has nothing to do with anything else other than my feelings on certain goings on.

People also fail to realize that baseball and football are vastly different industries. The idea that Topps may not be the top company in a sport is very foreign to people who dont venture outside of baseball that often. Expectations which hold true in baseball do not necessarily hold true in football and vice versa. Therefore, when a detractor considers that notion, they may be able to see where the UD bias stems from: UD JUST MAKES BETTER FOOTBALL STUFF. Bottom line.

When you look a little deeper into the slinging that goes down, most people just need something sticky to throw at me. Why they chose the "bias," im not sure, because its an inevitable part of a non-objective site. I guess they got bored with the fat jokes.