Blog - Page 9 of 50 - Tan Man Baseball Fan

Trading Trout for Mantle?!

Last year, I was on a kick to discover various parts of the hobby, one of which included PSA graded rookies of the newer guys. On April 8th, 2019, I got in a card that I just couldn't get out of my head: A 2011 Topps Update Mike Trout Diamond Anniversary PSA 10. Like many, I have several "I wish I didn't sell" Mike Trout horror stories, and worried I was buying at its peak, but thought it still had quite a bit of room to grow - I was right! Eventually, I sold all my modern PSA stuff, except

BIGGEST Mailday/Week Ever! Pre-War Collection Reboot

If you are reading this anywhere near the time I have published this article, you may have a number of fears and concerns. The Coronavirus has certainly changed the world we live in - at least temporarily. As a baseball fan, one concern that afflicts you but maybe not anyone else around you is the delay of the season. As baseball fans, we endure the long, hard road from November until Spring Training. When it gets here, it is like a breath of fresh air. This is not something that has been afforded to us yet, so we wait with

Creating Custom Rainbow Albert Pujols Extensions

Today marks the 31st anniversary of when I started collecting baseball cards, so I decided to have some fun! Things have gotten a little crazy these days with rainbows, but I can completely understand the allure of them. As collectors, we oftentimes want to collect until completion. Whether that is an insert set, full set, team set or even whatever theme we want to go after. Having a goal to complete something - and completing it - feels good. It gives our hobby some sense of purpose. Here is a rainbow I'm working on currently - I still need the

1991 Upper Deck CHROME Prototype Sample?!?!

Whenever a prototype from the junk wax era pops up, it is huge news. People *LOVE* new takes on cards from their childhood, and this one is no exception. A little over three years ago, I wrote about a 1991 Upper Deck Chrome prototype (I wrote a HUGE article - it is mentioned at the bottom) and how I was able to get my hands on one. Why reinvent the wheel? I'll go ahead and just repost what I wrote there, here, from January 2017 ... and then pick up where I left off afterward: ================ One of the most innovative

Sunday, Billy Sunday

On the Blowout forums, someone made a post asking about what card brings you joy. I LOVE this topic - while the entire hobby brings me joy, I thought I'd put a spotlight on one card in particular. Rather than gush about a Canseco card, I wanted to show my most meaningful non Canseco. As a kid, I read a book called Billy Sunday: Baseball Preacher. I remember nothing about the book itself, but as someone who loves both Jesus and baseball, this clicked with me. The cover of the book had a mock 1956 Topps card if I recall

Transformers and Voltron

Hey guys! I don't know why, but the nostalgia bug has bitten me hard. I was susceptible to it anyway, being a baseball card junkie (I wrote a book "Confessions of a Baseball Card Addict") - no doubt, people thought I was a nerd. Then, I started looking at Transformers & Voltron. Nerd level ratched up to 10! I don't recall watching the cartoon much at all, but even as an adult, I always thought the concept of having a robot toy transform into a vehicle was brilliant. Having several robots that can transform into a bigger robot? Beyond brilliant.

1919 W514 Babe Ruth Curse of the Bambino Baseball Card!

I picked this up a couple months ago, but have been waiting until the 100th year anniversary to the day! I'm still jumping out of my skin excited about it :) 1919 W514 Babe Ruth! I made a graphic detailing what is so special about it as shown below: This card has flown way under the radar given its historical significance and who it is of. It is nowhere near the most popular Babe Ruth card (though I think it should be up there) - heck - it isn't even the most popular card in the set! That honor goes

Christmas, Customs & Nostalgia

Man, what a year! Seriously. 2019 has been quite the ride from a hobby perspective. This year, I have made appearances on various radio stations, was featured on television, published in Beckett Sports Monthly, designed my first official "real" baseball card set, and even became a pod caster! Book sales have been going well in my first year as an official author. While I sell my book on Amazon, I've also had a number of folks reach out to purchase a signed a copy directly from me. I thought it would be fun to do a graphic of the US

Biggest Mailday Ever? You Decide!

I'm about to show not one, not two, but THREE epic cards that have come into my collection ... on the same day! A few weeks back, Gary Carter supercollector Anthony Cali reached out to me to let me know someone had this beauty: This is a big, huge deal. Rawlings shirt sleeve cards are extremely rare for Canseco. Not all jerseys have them, and when they do, they typically account for one or two of the tiny squares that card companies cut jerseys up into. I did a quick & dirty measurement on a jersey by spreading it out