Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Chrome : Corey Seager Base Autograph Purple Refractor Parallel (207/250)

I did not expect to add yet another Seager autograph to my most recent BGS batch but when the opportunity presented itself to pick up this purple parallel I couldn't pass the chance up.

I have semi decided to go for the rainbow in this year's Topps Chrome set even though I had yet to acquire a single one for the project as I was waiting till the off season to start on it. This purple copy came up on eBay though with a low starting asking price and by the time the auction was over and I had been declared the winner I felt that the price was a bargain but of course I hoped it would reach me in good condition.

Thankfully it did just that as I can't really see anything glaringly wrong with it so I hope that this is the first of many gems for my 2016 Topps Chrome Seager autograph collection when it comes back from Beckett in a couple of weeks. Here's to another gold banner.... hopefully.

Two Hundred and Seven

of

Two Hundred and Fifty

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2013 Bowman Chrome : Corey Seager Base Refractor Parallel

By the time this post goes live the card will have been in Dallas for grading for a couple of weeks but I acquired this and a couple others at the very last minute to make sure they get included in the batch. I submitted my stack on Saturday the 10th yet I received this card just a few days prior. Cutting it close.

I already have this card in my collection but as I have stated before I am trying to upgrade all my non 9.5's in the rainbow collection of Corey Seager from the 2013 Bowman Chrome set and since I have not been able to locate one that has already been graded in gem mint form I have had to go the route of acquiring one in raw condition and sending it in to BGS in the hopes it comes back as a 9.5.

On the computer screen this looked to be pretty dead on for centering and in hand I saw no other issues except 1 small "ding" on a corner on the back side but hopefully this will become my replacement for the 9 version I already own. Knock on wood.

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 Topps Chrome : Corey Seager Base Blue Wave Refractor Parallel (50/75)

I wasn't planning to but now it seems I might be going after the rainbow for this year's Topps Chrome cards of Corey Seager. I just finished (minus the super of course) the 2013 Bowman Chrome of Corey and just doing upgrades but now it looks like I'll be doing it for his true "rookie" card.

I am not the biggest fan of this design as I do not like the clouded look but the more and more I watch Corey play it has made it harder for me to resist doing this project but if I was going to do it I wanted to get a "hard" color first at a discount before moving forward. While the Orange and Red (#/25 and #/5) probably will never happen this Blue Wave only has a 75 print run so it is one of the more "easier" ones to acquire.

I ended up landing this on a BIN auction after days of watching the seller drop the price due to no one biting on his high asking price. As with the 2013 Bowman Chrome rainbow if I do it for this year's Topps Chrome release I must have them in BGS gem mint form and this Blue Wave looks like a lock to obtain that grade as only 1 corner has a slight issue which can only be seen under a loop. By the time this post goes live the card will be in Dallas getting graded and hopefully earning that loved gold banner.

Fifty

of

Seventy-Five

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 - 2013 Bowman Chrome Mini : Corey Seager Base Green Refractor Parallel (73/75)

With Corey doing so well this year it is getting increasingly harder to land his cards at any type of deal but I continue to plug away and ended up with this 2013 mini that helps me along with my 3rd rainbow project of Mr. Seager.

While the "normal" sized cards get the most attention these colored minis are hard to track down. I've been lucky to get a few but the prices have been rising as his play has improved. As with all the rainbow cards I want/need them to be in gem mint form or a raw looks like they can earn that grade. Saw this one on eBay and considering what previous greens have sold for I was pleasantly surprised that I landed this at about $8 cheaper than I thought I would. The seller had the same feeling as he contacted me after the auction and stated what a great deal I received. He also believes that this should earn a 10 from Beckett. Now that is a mighty confident statement to throw around but once in hand I can see where he was coming from. I don't see anything wrong with this well centered card but I never expect a 10 but if this does not receive a 9.5 then I know the grader must have had a bad day.

Seventy-Three

of

Seventy-Five

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Chrome : Clayton Kershaw Base Photo Variation Green Refractor Parallel (78/99)

I love when eBay sellers don't describe their auctions in detail but I also love it when a limited card pops up at a great price which is lower than any other copy that is currently selling and to top it off it had a best offer option.

I acquired the green Trout photo variation on a great discount and I was on the hunt for a Kershaw version to complete my 2 card project from this year's Topps Chrome release. A few of these were selling on eBay as I had them on my watch list but this one came up on a search and the asking price was $5 cheaper than current auctions. I sent over an offer that was another $6 dollars lower and the seller and I eventually met half way which ended up being almost $10 less than other sales of this card.

I don't understand (unless the condition is suspect) why other buyers bid up a card when they can have a different one at a lower price? Do people not look or am I just that much an eBay whore that I know the tricks of the trade? Either way I am happy to secure this for my latest BGS batch as other than 1 corner being ever so rounded there is nothing wrong with this card. Want and expect a gold banner return for this green beauty.

Seventy-Eight

of

Ninety-Nine

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Raw Card Review Recap Number Seven From Submission Batch On Saturday September 10th, 2013 (2015 Topps Supreme Clayton Kershaw Printing Plate Autograph)

Before

After

No matter what grade this card will receive from Beckett I will be keeping it as it is my 1st 1 of 1 of the Dodger great. If it earned a 9.5 I would be ecstatic but highly surprised as I see no way that it gets that grade. Why you ask? On the left hand side you will see a dot near Clayton's sight line which is on the surface of the plate. I can not see how BGS will give the surface grade a 9 but if it did I believe the card would gem as there is nothing else wrong with it. My problem is I hope it doesn't earn an 8 which would drive the overall grade to an 8.5 and with me wanting all my Kershaw autographs to be a minimum of 9 that would be an issue with me. The solution? God forbid it comes back an 8 or 8.5 I will just submit it to just be encased with no grade as this is a great piece to own. Hopefully it won't come to that and it earns at least a 9.

We come to the last entry and lucky number 7 of the raw graded cards and the biggest surprise (at least to me) of the batch. Upon closer look I think the grader might have done me a solid and handled the issue I though would arise but seems to no longer be there.

In the before picture you will notice a dot on the top left hand side of the card. It is/was physically on the card and not on the case. When I received the card back as seen in the after photo my eyes went straight to the gold banner. I knew the autograph would score a 10 but I could not believe that a card I was so worried about not even earning a 9 received a 9.5. As I was filling out the form to send this to BGS I took another glance at the card and that is when I noticed that the "mark" seemed to have disappeared. Where did it go? I think the grader saw it and figured out or knew how to get it off without affecting the integrity of the card that he took care of it for me. If that is true then I want to say thank you Mr. Grader for hooking a collector up.

A great way to end my raw graded batch. Only 1 of 11 was unsatisfactory and if I can keep that ratio up for the batch that went to Dallas I would be very happy.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Raw Card Review Recap Number Six From Submission Batch On Saturday September 10th, 2013 (2012 Bowman Chrome/2016 Topps Chrome Corey Seager 8x10 Autograph Purple Parallel)

Now for a raw card review in the hopes that this will be in the big batch that is heading to Dallas but due to it's size I wanted to make sure it earns a 9.5 first. Why does size matter? That's a loaded question isn't it? Beckett charges an extra $8 $12 for anything that is bigger than a traditional sized baseball card and this Purple Seager far exceeds those. Also there is a slight "whitening" on the top left hand corner. While I don't think that will affect the overall grade as I expect this to earn a 9.5 I want to make sure because I would be very irritated if I spent extra money and this came back as a 9. Better safe than sorry.

What...A...Glare.

I guess I forgot what they taught me in Photography 101 but I was in a rush as I needed to get this bad boy into my BGS batch headed to Dallas for slabbing treatment. This "card" is a first for me in many ways but what I found the most interesting is note the label on it stated what grade it received from the raw grading review. While it did earn a 9.5 notice that it is written on a sticky note! What? They stated they had not stickers that fit items this big. What was even funnier is that the grade it earned, 9.5, was only valid at that very moment (hence the rushed picture) as if I left the store how would Beckett know I didn't grade it and say it was gem mint. I had to package it up promptly to ensure this got fully slabbed.

If this would have received a 9 or 10 I would have sold it off but of course it comes back as a 9.5 so I will be keeping it. I assume that the slight issue on the top corner was not bad enough to earn less than a 9 but it did hinder it from earning a pristine grade. This will look great in a gold banner.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Chrome : Clayton Kershaw MLB Debut Autograph Insert (11/50)

The minute I saw this card I knew I had to have it and when I say this one I mean the blue parallel and not the punk ass Orange version. A Kershaw card surrounded by Orange? No thank you. But covered in blue? All day everyday.

A lot of factors drew me to wanting this card. Obviously first and foremost is that it is another Kershaw autograph for my collection. I love the fact that it shows his MLB debut date on the card as I was at that game and even though it doesn't really add any value to the card I think it is cool nonetheless. The autograph is crisp and smearless which makes it a lock for a 10 from Beckett and with everything else checking in quite well I think it has a great chance to be yet another BGS 9.5 for my collection.

I acquired this without a book value to guide me through the bidding war but since there was no out of pocket money spent I was OK with the amount I paid. Might have been more than what it's "worth" but in the end I couldn't resist this great looking card.

Eleven

of

Fifty

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Raw Card Review Recap Number Five From Submission Batch On Saturday September 10th, 2013 (2009 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Autograph)

The definition of insanity is doing something over and over expecting a different result yet still getting the same one you are trying to get away from. So with that I guess I am insane when it comes to this Kershaw card and the Seager card below.

I have submitted this card before to BGS for a raw review looking to get a bump from its current grade of 9.0 to the more desirable gold banner 9.5. All I need is for centering or corners to get that extra .5 and till now I have not been lucky enough to get it. Maybe this is the time I get what I want.

See people... I'm NOT crazy no matter what others and my wife says. Ha Ha.

As stated above I have submitted this card to BGS on a raw grade review before. Twice to be exact. Yet I never received a bump in grade as I needed centering or corners to receive that extra .5. All it took was for a different grader to have a different point of view as centering somehow changed is now gem mint. LOL.

I never expected the corners to get the bump but damn it if the centering always looked spot on to me and finally someone agreed with me. Another gem mint Kershaw autograph for the collection.

Bumpity Bump to gem status

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Raw Card Review Recap Number Four From Submission Batch On Saturday September 10th, 2013 (2009 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Autograph Red Parallel)

Another Kershaw autograph another PSA that I hope to get into a BGS case with an acceptable grade.

This one though has been graded as a 9 by PSA and while I think it looks like a gem to me I will be more than happy if it comes back with a 9 from BGS. On occasion you see a card getting a higher grade from BGS and while that would be nice I don't expect it.

Well this had a better return than the 1st Kershaw return I posted about. While I expected that PSA 10 to come back as a BGS 9.5 it disappointed with a 9 instead. With this PSA 9 I hoped for a "bump" to a BGS 9.5 but would have been more than content with a 9. As in a PSA 9 "should" be a BGS 9. Thankfully this one did indeed get the grade I expected. I am curious to how close it came to getting a 9.5 as if it is only .5 from a 9.5 then I will submit it for another raw review looking for a bump next time Beckett is in town. It can happen people as evident by the next post .

That's more like it.

9 equals 9

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Heritage : Clayton Kershaw Base Color Swap Variant

A forgotten chase has finally been finished as I acquired the Trout version from the 2015 Heritage set awhile ago and picked up the 2016 Kershaw as well but I forgot to nab the 2015 Heritage of Kid K. Problem fixed.

With the 2015 Trout card already in a beautiful BGS gem mint case I wanted to couple it with a gem of Kershaw but I could not find one anywhere that was already in graded form so the hunt for a raw version that would "probably" grade out to a 9.5 was on. Not too many of these copies were to found on eBay but this was one of the few that looked to be in great shape so I sent over an offer to the seller who promptly countered. We went back and forth for a few days until I stated that a previous sold for a certain amount and that I wouldn't pay more than that. They finally took my offer and I had the card in hand shortly.

It's journey now will go to Dallas to hopefully be fitted into a gold banner case. I think it will but you just never know with paper cards.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Chrome : Mike Trout Base Photo Variation Green Parallel (21/99)

Wait ..
Wait ....
Wait ......
NOW !!!

It felt like a race when it came to this card and thankfully I had a lot of "false starts" prior to acquiring this limited greenie as it benefited me nicely to lose day in and day out for a week.

I love me some photo variations as everyone knows and when I heard it was announced that Trout (Kershaw as well) would have one in this year's Topps Chrome set I knew I would be hunting one down for myself. A couple days after TC's release I found out there were Green (Orange as well but I won't be after those) parallels of the photo variations. To top it off they are numbered so these became more desirable as I prefer numbered cards. Off I went to eBay to secure one for myself and at least 5 copies I had lost out on as the final price always went over $60 with a couple hitting even $70. I wasn't that interested in the card.

On a Sunday when I was out and about I checked the bay and this bad boy popped up with a starting price of $27 with a BIN for less than $43. Really? Don't know if this seller didn't do his homework but this was not the going price but I didn't hesitate and I clicked and paid for the card and waited a week in the hopes that it looked good enough to be another gem mint 9.5 for my collection. It does and is in my current BGS batch for grading.

Just for the hell of it I have kept track of a couple more of these Green parallels on eBay post my transaction and each one has closed at over $60. Score one for me.

Twenty-One

of

Ninety-Nine

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

Raw Card Review Recap Number Three From Submission Batch On Saturday September 10th, 2013 (2016 Topps Heritage Punch Out Toploader Autograph)

Unlike the other Kershaw autographs in this batch I will flip this back on eBay if it does not at least garner a 9 from BGS in the raw card review process. Though this is a "plain" looking card of Kid K I do love it for its simplicity and would love to keep it in my collection but there is a small fraying situation going on the back of the card to one of the corners. I "fixed" it to the best of my ability and think at worse it comes back as an 8.5 in that sub grade. If it does that then the overall grade should be a 9 but I will keep my fingers crossed.

I guess I might have a future in "fixing" cards in the hopes of earning better grades when it comes to submitting them to BGS.

I loved this card the 1st time I saw it and am surprised I was able to land a copy with its scant print run of just 10. There was a corner on the back that was frayed so bad that you can see the card splitting but after some care and an overnight stay in between 2 heavy books it looks like it paid off as the card earned an overall 9 from Beckett. Woo Hoo.

Thank you reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Raw Card Review Recap Number Two From Submission Batch On Saturday September 10th, 2013 (2015 Gypsy Queen Clayton Kershaw Autograph Silver Patallel)

Now for the one card I am very worried will come back with less than a 9 attached to it.

Upon closer inspection I notice that 2 of the corners on the back have fraying issues. Now does that downgrade that sub grade to an 8 or can it possibly hold at an 8.5? Hopefully the latter and not the former but I am that unsure hence why it is in the RCR batch instead of going straight to Dallas for the full slabbing treatment. Hopefully it will be in that batch but I must do this step 1st as I can not stand less than 9's on my Kershaw autographs.

Something, something, something, 8.5

That is my prediction on the sub grades for this card. As stated there were issues with some corners and there is no possible way that they would receive a 9 or higher. Of course if they received an 8 then it would have been impossible for the overall to be a 9 which this card earned. So the 1 sub grade I am sure of is the 8.5 that the corners earned. That's good because I did not want to get rid of another Kershaw autograph to acquire another one with a sure grade.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Raw Card Review Recap Number One From Submission Batch On Saturday September 10th, 2013 (2014 Topps Tribute Clayton Kershaw Autograph Yellow Patallel)

I've done it before and I am hoping to do it again.

This Clayton autograph has already been deemed a gem by PSA but being a BGS snob I want it in a Beckett case but I need to have it be at least a 9.5. I have had done this before with a PSA card that was also graded as a 10 and Beckett agreed with them and slapped a 9.5 on it so that is what I am hoping and expecting here.

... and here we are again.

I submitted 11 cards last weekend to get raw graded by BGS and as always I will do a recap. Most times I do one for each card but there were 4 that were such a stretch that if they would have received a major bump in grade I would have died from shock so those will not be recapped (obviously they did not get the bump) but the other 7 will be and this is the first. As always I will put my original thoughts in red from the original post above the recap paragraph.

Of the 7 cards this was the only disappointment so I guess I should be happy but I'm actually irritated. This is the 1st time I have submitted a PSA 10 card that did not receive a BGS 9.5 grade. Gem mint equals gem mint right? Well previous to this card that statement was true but this one did not warrant a gold banner from Beckett said the grader. I have a very funny feeling this might have been a mis grade and I will be resubmitting it in March of 2017 when Beckett is out here again and hopefully I will get a better return.

9.0 my A....

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

of

Twenty-Five

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps High Tek : Clayton Kershaw Base Spiral Bricks Red Storm Diffractor Parallel (7/10)

A week or so ago I showcased the Heritage action photo variation of Clayton that I picked up for $8.33 and now here is the "big" catch of that auction that contained both cards. This one was also acquired for $8.33 and it is the red parallel from the 2014 Topps High Tek release and limited to just 10 copies.

When I saw this pop up on eBay I knew that a couple had already sold for north of $25. Considering it is limited to just 10 copies that $25 cost is pretty reasonable I would say but at the same time the High Tek brand is not the most popular of brands in the hobby. While I personally would not have forked over $25 for this card I definitely had no problem paying $8.33 for it.

I had hoped that this would come to me in good enough condition to add it to my gem mint collection of Mr. Kershaw and I believe it has about a 50/50 chance of that as only 1 corner seems to have a little bit of fuzziness to it. I will just have to wait and see what Beckett thinks.

Seven

of

Ten

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

11 Cards Submitted to BGS For Raw Card Review / Grade Bump At South Bay Sports Cards On September 10th, 2016

Got .. to .. love .. Gold

As a collector of graded cards that is all you want to see above a card you submit to Beckett for grading. Of course you would love to see a 10 or the ultra rare black label but lets not get greedy shall we.

I sent in another massive batch of cards for the full graded treatment but unlike the past 2 submissions I had quite a few that I wanted raw graded and/or cards that that were already graded and wanted a bump in their grade. I will post each card that went through this process in particular order and do an update entry on each one shortly. With no further adieu here they are :

2012 Bowman Chrome Corey Seager Autograph Blue Parallel (4/150)

I might as well start of with the longest of longshots as this is a reach when it comes to looking for a bump in grade.

This is already a beautiful 9.5 that can only get better if it had an overall 10 attached to it and that is what I am trying to do here. Why it's a reach is because when it comes to looking for a .5 bump it is not unheard of (as I have had a couple successes myself) but to try for a full 1 point, now that is rare but it has been done and I will be trying.

2 sub grades already have earned a 10 so I need the 9 sub grade to get bumped to a 9.5 and the 9.5 to get bumped up to a 10. I put the odds of this happening at about 1-5% so I won't be sad if it doesn't earn it BUT I will be ecstatic if it does as that would skyrocket the value of this card.

2014 Topps Tribute Clayton Kershaw Autograph Yellow Parallel (6/30)

I've done it before and I am hoping to do it again.

This Clayton autograph has already been deemed a gem by PSA but being a BGS snob I want it in a Beckett case but I need to have it be at least a 9.5. I have had done this before with a PSA card that was also graded as a 10 and Beckett agreed with them and slapped a 9.5 on it so that is what I am hoping and expecting here.

2012/2016 Topps/Bowman Chrome Corey Seager 8x10 Autoggraph Purple Parallel (10/10)

Now for a raw card review in the hopes that this will be in the big batch that is heading to Dallas but due to it's size I wanted to make sure it earns a 9.5 first. Why does size matter? That's a loaded question isn't it? Beckett charges an extra $8 for anything that is bigger than a traditional sized baseball card and this Purple Seager far exceeds those. Also there is a slight "whitening" on the top left hand corner. While I don't think that will affect the overall grade as I expect this to earn a 9.5 I want to make sure because I would be very irritated if I spent extra money and this came back as a 9. Better safe than sorry.

2009 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Autograph Red Ink Parallel (58/60)

Another Kershaw autograph another PSA that I hope to get into a BGS case with an acceptable grade.

This one though has been graded as a 9 by PSA and while I think it looks like a gem to me I will be more than happy if it comes back with a 9 from BGS. On occasion you see a card getting a higher grade from BGS and while that would be nice I don't expect it.

2015 Topps Supreme Clayton Kershaw Autograph Printing Plate (1/1)

No matter what grade this card will receive from Beckett I will be keeping it as it is my 1st 1 of 1 of the Dodger great. If it earned a 9.5 I would be ecstatic but highly surprised as I see no way that it gets that grade. Why you ask? On the left hand side you will see a dot near Clayton's sight line which is on the surface of the plate. I can not see how BGS will give the surface grade a 9 but if it did I believe the card would gem as there is nothing else wrong with it. My problem is I hope it doesn't earn an 8 which would drive the overall grade to an 8.5 and with me wanting all my Kershaw autographs to be a minimum of 9 that would be an issue with me. The solution? God forbid it comes back an 8 or 8.5 I will just submit it to just be encased with no grade as this is a great piece to own. Hopefully it won't come to that and it earns at least a 9.

2016 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Punch Out Toploader Autograph (10/10)

Unlike the other Kershaw autographs in this batch I will flip this back on eBay if it does not at least garner a 9 from BGS in the raw card review process. Though this is a "plain" looking card of Kid K I do love it for its simplicity and would love to keep it in my collection but there is a small fraying situation going on the back of the card to one of the corners. I "fixed" it to the best of my ability and think at worse it comes back as an 8.5 in that sub grade. If it does that then the overall grade should be a 9 but I will keep my fingers crossed.

2015 Gypsy Queen Clayton Kershaw Autograph Silver Parallel (39/50)

Now for the one card I am very worried will come back with less than a 9 attached to it.

Upon closer inspection I notice that 2 of the corners on the back have fraying issues. Now does that downgrade that sub grade to an 8 or can it possibly hold at an 8.5? Hopefully the latter and not the former but I am that unsure hence why it is in the RCR batch instead of going straight to Dallas for the full slabbing treatment. Hopefully it will be in that batch but I must do this step 1st as I can not stand less than 9's on my Kershaw autographs.

2009 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Autograph BGS 9.0

The definition of insanity is doing something over and over expecting a different result yet still getting the same one you are trying to get away from. So with that I guess I am insane when it comes to this Kershaw card and the Seager card below.

I have submitted this card before to BGS for a raw review looking to get a bump from its current grade of 9.0 to the more desirable gold banner 9.5. All I need is for centering or corners to get that extra .5 and till now I have not been lucky enough to get it. Maybe this is the time I get what I want.

2009 Bowman Draft Corey Seager Orange Chrome Parallel (22/25) BGS 9.0

Just like the Kershaw I have submitted this Seager before to BGS looking for a bump and just like the former the latter has had no luck in getting a higher grade.

2016 Topps Tribute Clayton Kershaw Milestones Insert (5/10)

While the other cards that I am getting raw graded are up in the air if I keep them or not this one will be staying my collection on matter what it receives.

As always I am hoping for at least a 9 on all Kershaw cards but looking at this under the loop I am a tad afraid of one corner which could drive down the overall to an 8.5. Normally if a card came back with that "terrible" grade I would flip it back on eBay but not this one as it holds a place in my heart. IF it does come back with anything other than a mint grade I will submit it to BGS for encasing only aka no full grade. I have never done that before but I want and will keep this card and it will be easier to store in a spiffy Beckett case.

While the Kershaw card would enjoy a nice little bump in value with a higher grade this Seager would really have its price appreciate with a gold banner. Just like the Clayton one I need this Corey to have either centering or corners get an extra .5. I see no way that centering gets it but the corners look good enough to be gem and I just need a sympathetic graded to share that view. Hopefully this will be the time.

Thank you and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps Chrome : Clayton Kershaw Base Sepia Refractor Parallel (91/99)

It was time to go across the Pacific once again to acquire a much wanted card as the sellers on the mainland have not been kind to me when it has come to its price. Sellers located in Asia seem to be open to negotiating a price and in some cases just accepting the offer that is sent to them and that happened to be the case for this beautiful Kershaw card.

I love the Sepia cards that Topps produce but this 2013 Topps Chrome one has eluded me for quite some time. They have popped up on eBay from time to time but with book checking in at $25 there is no way no how am I spending that much to acquire it. The problem is/was that most of the U.S sellers had that as their asking price.

This one popped up one day on the auction site with an asking price of $15 which was "maybe" my ceiling price but only on a very good day. Thankfully the seller included a best offer option. I also noticed that he was located in Taiwan and I was not in any hurry to have this card so it did not matter to me that it would take a couple of weeks to get to me. Well I sent over an offer of $6. Low ball? Maybe but I wanted to see what his price would be and go from there. Well I had to wait almost 2 days for an answer but not only did he not reject my offer he accepted it without a counter. Woo Hoo. That is $6 well spent in my eyes. Card will be off to BGS when they are back in town as I think it has a 50/50 shot at some gold banner love.

Ninety-One

of

Ninety-Nine

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2014 Topps High Tek : Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Black and White Parallel (5/15)

A major get in my eyes as I acquired this limited (5 of only 15) beauty on an eBay auction that I think people were scared off from. Now that it is in my hands I think it has a decent chance to earn a 9.5 from BGS which would be the cherry on top for this card's transaction. We shall see shortly.

When I first saw this pop up on eBay a lot of factors drew me to it. First obviously it would be another Kershaw autograph for my collection. Secondly it is black and white and this would be my 1st autograph of any player in this form. As I do love me B/W cards this would be a great addition and it being numbered to just 15 was the topper. What made me think I could land it was that the card was originating out of Japan and a lot of eBay buyers are scared off by overseas sellers but longtime readers know I have had great luck from our brothers from across the Pacific. What gave me pause though was in the auction the seller stated that the card is not perfect and if a potential buyer wanted one in that condition to go elsewhere as this one was not "gradable". Yikes. I decided to reach out to the seller via email to see what exactly he meant with his comment about the card being not gradable. After a few emails I decided to chance it and try to win this computer screen beauty and hope that in hand it was just as pretty.

I believe if the seller did not put those comments in his auction or undersold its condition that the card would have gone for a lot more and especially more than what I paid for it. I expect it would have gone for a minimum of $100 but my purchase price was no where near that and for that I am happy.

The card arrived weeks after the auction win and under the magnifying loop I honestly can't say I see anything overly wrong with the card. There is 1 corner that is not super sharp but it is not frayed. I can't see any scratches on the plastic surface and the autograph is clean. So did I score a hell of deal and acquire another gem mint Kershaw autograph? Well I would say at worst it is a 9 and that wouldn't be terrible as well but hopefully Beckett will give it a 9.5 in October.

Five

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Fifteen

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Chrome : Clayton Kershaw Base Photo Variation

A surprise purchase by me. Not that I picked it up as I would have eventually as I want all photo variations of Clayton but considering this card just came out at time of purchase and previous sales far exceeded this card's amount I was very happy to snag it so early on.

Topps Chrome came out last month and on right out the gate these photo variations were selling for over $30 with some touching $40 but I have learned my lesson and decided to wait on the sidelines for a few weeks for the price to come down. Well the following day this one popped up on eBay with an asking price of $20 which was already down considerably from the $40's sales. I could have just snagged it at that price but the seller also included a best offer option. I debated on sending in a single digit offer but that seemed too low ball even for me so instead I sent one for $12 expecting to see it rejected or countered. I really just wanted to see where the seller's mentality was on price but instead he accepted the offer and a week later I had the card.

After this card's sale other copies are still going routinely in the $20's so this is a nice little get for me and it's (obviously) heading to BGS for a slab treatment.

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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Twenty-Five

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin