Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter X (Online Exclusive) : Corey Seager Black and Silver Mini Frame Autograph

For a long time I was jealous of a fellow collector as he had this in his possession and picked it up for a steal when I wasn't collecting and then when I finally was ready to go after my own copy my own impatience cost me some extra funds that shouldn't have been spent. Hopefully this will gem which will help take the sting off this card's acquisition.

My buddy Greg snagged his own copy and before that I knew I wanted this card but could never find one to my liking (price wise). There were and still are a few copies that are on eBay on BIN's and I finally decided to get mine when eBay ran an extra eBucks promotion. They finally did and I went to this card's auction as this was the one I decided I thought was in the best condition. As I clicked the button to acquire I didn't realize aka didn't read, that I would be charged sales tax as I reside in California. Sh*t. I could have backed out of transaction but I hate when people do that to me so I sucked it up and paid the amount. Now that it is in hand it looks like it should be a 9.5 when I submit it to BGS but we all know how that can pan out. Here's hoping I see a gold banner in it's future and to everyone else make sure you read the fine print.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-FOUR of FORTY-TWO - 2016 Allen Ginter Corey Seager Mini Frame Autograph Black Parallel (11/25) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

I love autographs.
I love black parallels.
I love Allen Ginter.
And then to top all of that off BGS graders were kind enough to slap a quad 9.5 gem mint label on this limited Corey Seager autograph.

Looking back at all my submission A/G probably has the best track record for me on returns as I think there has only been 1 Ginter to ever NOT receive a 9.5 when it comes to these mini frames. Even though it has a plastic coating since the mini card has to be encased surface has not been an issue so far (knock on wood). I expected a gold banner and received it. Another beautiful card that looks even better in its new home.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Mike Trout Base Mini Parallel Brooklyn Back Variant (1/25)

Let's.... try .... this.... AGAIN.

There are only 25 copies of this Brooklyn back in existence and this will be my second one that I have called my own. This one is numbered 1 of 25. I originally had number 24 of 25 and it was in great condition as I decided to send it in to Beckett to get it encased. I expected a gem mint return and in fact there were 3 sub grades that had earned a 9.5. Of course someone at BGS had to ruin my fun and drop it while it was in their care as they gave corners a 7. I would never send a card in that had corners that would earn such a low grade (unless it was vintage). Well to say the least I needed another copy that would be acceptable to me so I sold off that "damaged" card and went on the look out for another 1 of the 24 out there that would be good enough for me.

Since I knew the availability is diminishing I had a slightly higher price ceiling and was glad I did as I won this one in the middle of the night as the auction ended at 4 in the morning. It was nice waking up to an email declaring me the winner. Now this #1 just like that #24 is in very good condition so when I send this to BGS they better not drop it again.

Numero Uno

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Mike Trout Mini Frame Autograph Black Parallel (2/25) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Allen Ginter is probably my 2nd favorite brand every year and the mini frame autographs are number 1 within the set for me. This is my 2nd numbered A/G autograph of the Angel's great. I lucked into the red ink parallel from the 2013 set (quick recap on that is I sold a Puig BGS gem to cover the full cost of the Trout AND pocketed some money, try doing that today!!!) and am always on the lookout to add another but most of the time the price is too high for me. Lucky for me when one day eBay was running an eBucks promotion at the same time I saw this and I was ready to part with a few cards to cover it's cost. I did not get the same awesome deal as the Puig/Trout swap but I did get another limited and numbered Trout autograph that has already been certified as gem mint by Beckett at no cost out of pocket. The best kind of transaction.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Clayton Kershaw Base Mini Parallel Brooklyn Back Variant (24/25)

2 plus months.
That is a long time for a lot of things but negotiating for a card for that duration can be torture and that is what it took for me to finally land this card from a seller on eBay.

With a print run of only 25 for these Brooklyn backs there are only so many chances to snag one. I picked up the Seager (actually 2 of them) and the Trout with relatively ease but the Kershaw eluded me all this time. A few had sold but this one sat on eBay unclaimed as a BIN auction with a best offer option. Of course I put in my offer(s) but each one was rebuffed as the seller would not budge on his price and him even quoting past eBay sales saying I was offering less than each one. Truth be told he was right as I was trying to acquire it on a deal but unlike a lot of sellers he knew the value of this card and past sales of it. Good for him and bad for me.

While I sold codes/comics to accumulate funds to acquire it at his price I had to hope no one else would swoop in and buy it. The watch list grew but finally I had enough and sent an offer I knew he would take and finally won the card.

With it in hand now maybe waiting all this time will reward me with a minimum 9.5 from BGS or possibly a 10 as everything checks out to perfect for me when I put this under a loop.

Twenty-Four

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number FORTY-SIX - 2016 Allen Ginter Mike Trout Base Mini Parallel EXT Variant Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Allen Ginter Mike Trout Mini EXT Variant

Another Trout Ginter and another one with a high expectation when it comes to the grade it will earn. 

I see nothing wrong with this card under a loop as everything checks out with no problems so hopefully this limited EXT variant will be encased in a gold banner just as its Brooklyn brother that I believe will come back with the same result. 

Well unlike the Brooklyn variant this EXT version received what I expected from Beckett which was a solid 9.5 gold banner.

Other than that Brooklyn card I have had a great track record with BGS in my Ginter submissions and this one is no different as it earned quad 9.5's. Thank God as it seems every year these EXT's are becoming harder and harder to come across. 

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Corey Seager Mini Frame Autograph Black Parallel (11/25)

Well that was fast...

Even though I expected this card to be redeemed pretty fast as when I entered the code online I already knew this card was in stock at Topps. A week after inputting said code I had this card in hand and I am not disappointed.

Unlike the Kershaw mini frame that I received and was promptly disappointed in I knew unless Seager really had a bad day signing there was no way I was going to be let down by the young superstar. Kershaw has a tendency to drag his autograph to the end of the card which affects its grade if you submit it to BGS. Seager though has a compact signature so if he was to drag his auto to the edge of the card then something was going on. With this being limited to just 25 I hoped it would come in tip top condition so I can turn it into a gem mint 9.5 by BGS and I think it will do just that as I see nothing wrong with it. Thank you Corey for signing your cards so fast. Other players could learn from you.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-TWO - 2016 Allen Ginter Clayton Kershaw Base Mini Parallel EXT Variant Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Allen Ginter Clayton Kershaw EXT Mini Parallel

Love these mini Ginters and the only then I love more is when they are encased in a gem mint 9.5 case which is what I expect this Kershaw card to be in.

I picked this up from a friend and was not disappointed when it reached my house as I see nothing wrong with this and hope this will be an addition to my long running great luck in Ginter returns from Beckett.

While the Seager EXT was a major disappointment (still holding out hope maybe I can get a bump on it) there was nothing but happiness for this Kershaw EXT as not only did it come back as a gem it came back as a strong gem with 3 9.5's subs to go along with a 10. 

A thank you once again to the friend that must rename nameless do to the fact that the card was acquired by him under the notion it was for him. 

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number ELEVEN - 2016 Allen Ginter Corey Seager Base Mini Parallel EXT Variant Now BGS Graded Mint 9.0

2016 Allen Ginter Corey Seager EXT Mini Parallel

A lot of minis in this batch and the Corey has the majority of them. Among them are a lot of Ginters and like the others I believe this one does not have a significant flaw to stop it from earning an overall grade of at least a 9.5.

Even though Ginters are of the paper variety I seem to have more luck than not when I submit them for grading and hope it continues with this one as since these EXT are limited I do not want to search for another one if this somehow received a grade I do not like. I'm saying it won't. = )

I submitted 3 mini EXT Ginters and this is the only one that did NOT earn a gold banner and is stuck with this silver banner...for now.

I saw nothing wrong with this card while I had it in my hands and sure enough 3 of the sub grades were 9.5's but the corners checked in with an 8.5. Again, 11 cards in and the majority of issues has been with corners. What...the....hell. Well unlike the couple other ones that only needed a .5 bump to get an overall 9.5 this one is marked for a RCR when Beckett is back in March. 8.5... da hell?

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number ONE - 2016 Allen Ginter Mike Trout Base Mini Parallel Brooklyn Variant (24/25) Now BGS Graded Near Mint Plus 7.5

2016 Allen Ginter Mike Trout Mini Brooklyn Parallel (24/25)

I have had great luck from BGS when it has come to mini Ginter cards of Mike Trout and I expect that trend to continue with the ones in this batch.

This is the limited (25 print run) Brooklyn back from this year's release which replaces the flag backs from previous years with the same print run. Both of those earned gold banners and I expect this one to join that group.

56 cards were submitted to BGS in my latest batch and in total I earned 2 10's, 40 9.5's and 10 9's. While every 9 was acceptable or even expected there were 3 cards that came back with highly disappointing returns and each one happens to be a Mike Trout card with the exact same problem. 

9.5,9.5,9.5 and 7. I swear someone dropped this card in Dallas as there is no way I missed the corners on this or any card I have ever submitted to BGS. I might not get the grade right on and might be a half grade lower than I think but not 2 and half grades. To say the least this card is being cracked and resold on eBay.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Corey Seager Mini Frame Autograph Black Parallel (#/25)

Black or Gold?
9 times out of 10 I will always take a black card over a gold card and that is why I now own this spiffy little redemption card for a Corey Seager autograph.

When it was announced that there would be this limited (25 copies) parallel in the 2016 Allen Ginter set I knew I wanted a copy for myself. I had missed on the 1st handful that hit the bay. Probably 5-7 in total and now they were drying up as this was the only one left which happened to be on a BIN auction. I did not want to spend a dime to acquire it but at the same time I had nothing in the Paypal bank so what to do? I looked at my collection and out of all the Seager autographs there was one that I could live without as it wasn't overly appealing to me. The Gold autograph from the 2012 Bowman Sterling set which is numbered out of 50. I know that card comes from the 1st year he had cards done by Bowman and some people would not get rid of it but I love Ginters, I love black parallels and I have multiple copies of Corey's 2012 autographs from the Chrome set which I find more desirable.

So of course you know what I did as I sold the Gold and paid for this which came out as a wash. Once I received this card I entered it into the Topps site and considering I have already seen one of the actual card on eBay for sale I hope that it won't be long till I have my copy.

... and on top of all that eBay was running a special eBucks program and with the purchase of this card it helped finishing financing another which I will show tomorrow.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Corey Seager Base Mini Parallel EXT Variant

Took a little longer than I wanted and expected to but I finally landed a copy of Corey's EXT mini from this year's Allen Ginter set. Though an official print run is never announced for these the assumed number is no more than 50 and considering all are not found as not all rip cards are opened these are had at a slight premium.

I lost out on a couple of these though 1 went to an IG buddy so that was good to hear. I saw a different copy being sold on eBay and contacted the seller to see if he would end his auction and I would pay right then and there as eBay was running an eBucks promotion. He declined and said he had another (this one) if I didn't happen to win the 1st which I didn't as that soared above my price point. A hour after that one's auction ended he promptly put this one up and once again I put it on my watch list. Week later I put my bid in and won it for almost $15 less than his other one that I tried to snag. Losing yesterday is sometimes a win the following day. Saved some cash and acquired the card I have been hunting for.

Card came in and under the loop I see nothing wrong with this bad boy. Can it pristine at BGS? Maybe but I will be more than happy with a 9.5 slapped on it as when this blog entry goes live the card will be in Dallas getting the grading treatment.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Mike Trout Base Mini Parallel EXT Variant

Another Trout card that I had to wait awhile for to get my hands on. There have been a few of these EXT (extended) copies that have come and gone on eBay as I was in on them but lost out eventually but this particular copy stayed on the bay for well over a month. Why? Plain and simple, price.

I don't know what the high price was on this card but when I first came upon it the asking BIN was over $200. Even with the knowledge that there are roughly less than 50 copies of this card there was no way I was going to "pay" that much for it. For a month I tried to win other copies but lost out on each one all the while this copy stayed on my watch list. Every week or so the seller would drop his price. First to under $200, then near $150 and lastly it hovered near $100. The price was getting better but not enough for me to pull the trigger.

I lost out on yet another copy and knew sooner or later these EXT would dry up on the after market so I glanced back at this one and saw that the seller dropped his price to what the past few had sold for. On top of that eBay was running an eBucks special that day so bam, I finally had my EXT and earned extra eBucks for an October acquisition.

If this card does not earn a 9.5 from Beckett then I will be sorely pissed as this is a beauty in hand.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Clayton Kershaw Base Mini Parallel EXT Variant

A very important acquisition for my Kershaw collection but one of those rare times where I am not "allowed" to say who I picked it up from.

There are 2 different minis I need to acquire for Kershaw, Trout and Seager in this year's Allen Ginter release. We have the Brooklyn which is numbered to 25 and this one, the EXT or extended variant, which is only found in rip cards. A quick recap about that, rip cards are designed to give you the choice to keep it untouched OR "rip" it open to discover a mini within said rip card. With that said not all rip cards are opened so these "ext" cards like Kershaw here are not always found and remain in the rip cards. Makes a completist like me crazy when trying to acquire one as since they are not numbered you don't know when you see a copy if it will be the last time you see one for a long time.

Well a buddy of mine on Instagram had a friend of his pull this card and had no interest in and said buddy reached out and wanted to see if I had any interest. Damn right I did. We came to an agreement on price which was low considering past sales of this card and that is the reason I can not mention who I acquired it from so my buddy does not get in trouble for giving it to me as his friend thought it was for him. With all that said and done this beauty showed up in great shape and can't wait to see it in a BGS gold banner case.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Mike Trout Base Mini Parallel Brooklyn Back Variant (24/25)

The limited and/or numbered minis from this year's Allen Ginter seem to be in higher demand and have been a pain to lock down. I picked up the Seager Brooklyn variant (twice) just because I happened to be on eBay literally 2 minutes after it went live. It would have sold within a half hour at the BIN price it was set at. Lucky me. I still need(ed) the Trout and Kershaw ones and while Clayton is still out there for me to grab I finally was able to pick up the Trout and at a surprisingly low amount.

A few of these had sold prior to this one and the prices ranged from $40-$60 which for me was too much but I held out hope that I could snag one at a price that was more to my liking. For some reason this one clocked in a lot lower when the auction ended and I am the happy owner of this limited card.

This is basically the "flag" variant that A/G has had the last couple of years so this card is like a continuation of that project. I hope and believe that this will also garner high marks from Beckett when I send it in for grading.

Twenty-Four

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Corey Seager Base Mini Parallel Brooklyn Back Variant (16/25) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

... and this is the reason why Monday's Seager mini is no longer in my possession even though I believed that it would have graded out to a gem mint 9.5. In the end I went with a sure thing rather than a more than likely result to ease my mind.

With only 25 copies in the world of this Corey mini I wanted to make sure the one in my collection would have a gold banner above it. While the Monday's card looked perfect nothing is for sure when you submit it to BGS for a grade. This copy popped up literally the day after I won the other and showed up a day after I received the other as well.

While the cost was a tad high for this card considering there was no book to go by when I acquired it I had the raw version to sell back on eBay to offset most of this one's price and considering the cost it takes to get a card graded I still think I scored a deal and happy to say I have this in my collection even though it took 2 transactions to have it as a certified gem mint.

Sixteen

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Allen Ginter : Corey Seager Base Mini Parallel Brooklyn Back Variant (3/25)

... ah hell...

This was one of the main cards I "had" to have of Corey Seager from this year's Allen Ginter set and I was lucky enough to pick this up on eBay after negotiating with the seller for a couple days on an acceptable price for the both of us. Once completed I had this bad boy in my hands a few short days later with every intention to send it to BGS to get it graded. With it's condition I expect(ed) it would earn at least a 9.5.

Well a day later after receiving this card I put it back on eBay to purchase something else. Why do you ask if this was a must have for me? Well more on that on Wednesday's blog post.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin