BGS Submission Result Number EIGHTEEN - 2013 Topps Finest : Clayton Kershaw '93 Retro Insert Refractor Parallel (21/25) Now BGS Graded Mint 9.0

2013 Topps Finest Clayton Kershaw 93 Retro Refractor (21/25)

I would so love to this earn a gold banner (just like every other card I submit) but I know its almost impossible but weirder things have happened before so you just never know.

This is the refractor version of a retro insert set of one of my favorite sets of all time, the 1993 Finest set. There are only 25 copies of this card so in the end I am just happy that I have 1 of them to call my own. When I acquired this card I knew full well that centering was off on the front as you can plainly see in the photo. Everything else looks fine to me but I fear that centering will end up with an 8.5 which means the overall can't be a 9.5. Of course if centering somehow sneaks in with a 9 then I think the card earns a 9.5 but I am not holding my breath.

And with post number 18 of this massive batch we come to the final non gem mint card of the batch. That means there is a whole lot of gold banners ahead but first we have this last silver one to go over.

When I submitted this I knew there was almost no way this earns a gold banner and BGS agreed and handed centering an 8.5 which was expected. With a print run of just 25 I basically just wanted a nice mint copy for my collection and that is exactly what I have now. Maybe some point down the road I will be able to upgrade but for the time being I am more than satisfied with this copy in my collection.

And now onto the gems of the batch.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps Finest : Clayton Kershaw 1993 Insert Refractor Parallel (21/25)

I totally forgot that I wanted this card for my collection and thankfully I stumbled upon it before they all disappeared into people's collection as its print run is only 25 for this retro beauty.

Back in 2013, Topps brought back the Finest brand and though I really didn't care much for the release they included this insert commemorating the 20th anniversary of the first Finest release which was and still is a favorite of mine. To think I was 19 when that set came out and now I am collecting retro cards of that set. Boy time flies.

I already have the base card of Kershaw but back in 2013 the refractor copies that I saw were too rich for my blood but now 2 years later the prices have come down and with me only focusing on Kershaw and Trout I might be able to complete this small yet important project. I didn't have a book value to go by as these are too scarce to warrant a price but when all was said and done I think I picked it up at a steal. Though the front might be a tad off center I think there is a good chance this might grade out to a gem mint. Knock on wood. Now to find that Trout refrator

Twenty-One

of

Twenty-Five

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

BGS Submission Update Four - 2013 Finest : Mike Trout 1993 Retro Insert Now Graded and Slabbed a Gem Mint 9.5

Onto the second half of my recent BGS submission batch and the first of two back to back Trout cards.

I already own two BGS 9.5 Trout cards but I just love these two (other one tomorrow) cards of the Angels superstar. As I've stated many of times before the 1993 Finest set is one of my all-time favorite sets and when Topps decided to do a retro insert based on it in last year's Finest brand I was all over it.

When I purchased this card I knew somewhere down the road I would have it graded as I believed it would earn a gem mint grade. I was worried about the centering on the card but that came back a 9.5. The only sub grade that received a 9 was the corners but with that being the only one of the four the card still received an overall grade of 9.5. Minimal investment potential with this card but that was not the purpose with this card.

One Trout down, one to go.

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps Finest : Mike Trout 1993 Retro Insert

Two projects done with the purchase of this one card.

Once again, these 93 retro inserts were my favorite insert of 2013 as they come from one of my favorite sets of all time. Obviously I needed all the Dodgers and one Mike Trout. The Dodgers were all acquired but Trout was still elusive for me. Considering this is from the Finest set which I was collecting all the Dodgers from and have finished that project I was down to one card left in general and it just happened to be this one. So I would be completing an insert set and then also the Finest set ( or least the ones I wanted ) when I got my hands on this card. Finally the search was over.

This card has yo-yo'ed on eBay from $35-$75 and every time it was on the low end I somehow missed out on it. There was no way I was going to pay $75 when book is $50. A BIN auction popped up one day and like usual there was a best offer option attached to it. Back and forth I went with the seller till we both agreed on a price. Card came in and if I decide to grade it I think it will be a gem mint but I can tell that it is slightly off centered on top. Maybe a 9 there and 9.5 everywhere else. No matter though I am glad that I finally have this to add to my collection. Great looking card.

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps Finest : Clayton Kershaw Base Refractor Parallel

Onto another purchase at Frank and Sons and what better than to get a card of the current reigning Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw. Looking to fill a hole in my Finest set and saw that another seller had this refractor in his bargain bin for an asking price of $1.50. Not sure what book value was for the card at the time of purchase but for just pocket change I saw no need to hesitate and picked up another Kid K card.

Card(s) of the Day - 2013 Bowman Chrome : Cory Seager, Paco Rodriguez and Hyun-Jin Ryu Base Refractor Parallels and 2013 Finest : Adrian Gonzalez and Hyun-Jin Ryu Base X-Fractor Parallels

5 for 5

Can't beat that amount for cards that you need to complete a couple of sets. Went back to one of my favorite sellers on eBay to see what he up for sale pertaining to sets I still need to complete. He usually has the cards I need for a buck ( 99 cents to be exact ) a piece and he happened to have these 5 on this particular day.

Nothing too special about any of the cards but getting parallels of rookie Ryu, Seager, Paco and Gonzalez was just too good a bargain to pass up. A small dent in my ever growing collection needs.

Card of the Day - 2013 Finest : Hanley Ramirez 1993 Retro Insert

Finally completed.

It's always a great feeling to complete a project and with this Hanley card in house now I can check off one project from my long list.

As with most of the other Dodgers in this set I had lost out on my fair share of auctions trying to finish this set. Hanley being the most difficult as there just never seemed to be that many up for sale and when they were they sold for a higher price than I was willing to fork out. One day to my surprise I finally won a copy of Hanley and it was at the very low cost of just under $3. With me losing out on multiple auctions at over $6 I was happy to get this at that low price.

Card of the Day - 2013 Finest : Adrian Gonzalez Base Green Refractor Parallel ( 106 / 199 )

Here is a card I wasn't really looking to acquire as I am not the biggest fan of this year's Finest set and the parells aren't all that attractive.

On the same day I picked up the 1993 retro of Adrian the same seller had this green parallel up for sale as well and even though I had no intention to buy it, he was only asking for one crisp dollar bill. I decided I would throw my hat in for that amount but no more. If I won, cool, if I didn't no water off my back. As with the retro card at the end of the day I won this card for the low amount of just $1. Adding another Adrian card to the collection is never a bad thing.

106 of 199

Card of the Day - 2013 Finest : Adrian Gonzalez 1993 Retro Insert

Getting ever so close to finishing my 1993 retro set from this year's Finest set. I only had/have Adrian and Hanley to acquire to complete my set but both have been ever so elusive.

Adrian's card has not come up that much for purchase on eBay and the few that have, I lost out on due to me setting a limit on an acceptable price. I finally picked up his card and it didn't even come close to my ceiling on cost. For some reason at the end of the day no one else had bid on this card and I put my bid in with a few seconds left and came away with the card with the final cost of just $1. A buck? Really? I lost out on numerous other auctions as I wasn't going to go over $3 and then I get this for a steal.

Adrian is in the collection with only Hanley left.

Card of the Day - 2013 Finest : Hyun-Jin Ryu 1993 Retro Insert

Having just picked up Puig's retro insert the last "big" name to get on my list was Ryu and I was thinking I would have to pay more than $3 delivered for him. I was wrong and I am a OK with that.

I had seen Ryu's card go for as high as $10 and though I was not going to pay that much for it I expected I would pay higher than $5. I had lost out on auctions that ended higher than that so I was surprised to find myself on the winning side of this particular card at the end of the day. For some reason there were only two bids on the auction with mine coming last and highest for a minimal amount. Not complaining but I believe I acquired this card at a great deal. Only 2 left to complete the set. Almost there.

Card of the Day - 2013 Finest : Yasiel Puig 1993 Retro Insert

Finally caught the big Dodger fish in the 2013 Finest 1993 retro insert set. One Yasiel Puig.

As stated numerous times I just love the look of these and my need to acquire all of the Dodgers. Still needed 4 more to complete the set but two of them, Ryu and Puig, were always going to be the priciest to get my hands on.

Yasiel's card hit the ground running with the card closing on eBay for over $30 and some hitting as high as $40. Again with no price guide you had to go with your gut. Mine told me to hold onto my (wild) horses and wait until the price came down. After watching weeks of various copies going for $30+ I started to see it dip below that threshold. I still lost out on a few auctions but I was getting closer. One late night ( east coast was sleeping, yeah ) I was locked into an auction and when it ended I had won it for less than a blaster pack. Patience once again became a good virtue. Now to get my hands on the other 3 complete the set.

Card of the Day - 2013 Finest : Clayton Kershaw 1993 Retro Insert

First our 1A ace pitcher Zack and now our true ace, Clayton Kershaw. I just love this retro set and now have both our top pitchers and Kemp in hand. All have been purchased for less than $3 a card with Kershaw here coming in at a modest $2.27. I now need 4 more Dodgers to complete the set which shouldn't be too hard except for Puig which is selling for a premium.

With each year that Kershaw pitches with the numbers he is putting up I believe we will look back after he retires and realize that we witnessed one of the greatest left hand pitchers if not players ever to play the game. If Kemp did not exist, Kershaw for sure would be my favorite player. All I can say is that Kershaw defines "finest" and his inclusion in this set is appropriate.

Card(s) of the Day - 2013 Finest : Matt Kemp Base Refractor and X-Fractor, Adrian Gonzalez Base Refractor, Clayton Kershaw Base

With my love of the 1993 retro insert set in this year's Finest release I knew sooner or later I would look for the 2013 Finest cards of the Dodgers. Finally found some with at price that was right up my alley.

Four dollars netted me four cards. My most common transaction is the dollar per card and once again it has not disappointed me. I do love me some Kemp and Kershaw cards and I was able to pick up two parallels of Kemp and the base of Kershaw for the same price. To top it off the refractor of Adrian was also available too so I nabbed that as well. A nice small haul at a very reasonable price.

Card(s) of the Day - 2013 Topps Chrome : Adrian Gonzalez Base Purple Refractor Parallel and 2013 Topps : "Signing" SP Variant and 2013 Finest : Matt Kemp 1993 Retro Insert

Decided to circle back to previous sets that I moved on from a couple months ago and I found 2 bargains and also another card from a retro set that I love.

The prices on the secondary market for Topps Chrome and Topps have stabilized enough for me to venture back in and see what I could find. Picked up a variant and SP of A-Gon that slipped through my hands when they were first released. The purple refractor has a book value of $6 which I would never pay but the 99 cents which I did was a steal. The seller had the variant SP from the Topps set that depicts Adrian signing autographs. This is part of a variation subset of multiple players with this Adrian version being my first acquisition from said set. Need the Kershaw one next. Book value is $12 but was able to pick up for less than 50% at just $5. To put the cherry on top the seller also had the Kemp 1993 Finest retro card for only $1.80. Another Kemp added to the collection.

A small haul but a good one value wise.

Card of the Day - 2013 Finest : Zack Greinke 1993 Retro Insert

Its throwback time. Back in the 90's I loved the 1993 Finest set. I remember the ridiculous pack price and the choice of whether to take off the protective plastic that was on each card or leave it there but have wording on said plastic which obstructed the picture on the card. It was a pricey set and I only ended up buying a few packs as I didn't have deep enough pockets to pursue the set. For the 20th anniversary Topps has put together an insert set in this year's Finest set with current players featured on the 1993 design. I knew I had to get them and this is the first one I was able to get my hands on.

Zack did well in his first season with the Dodgers and with the late year releases there are more cards to chose from of him in Dodger blue. Saw him on the checklist for this insert set and went on eBay to see what the asking price was. Most were north of $5 which seems high to me but a seller had this one for just $3. I now have the first of the 1993 Finest Dodger retros. More Dodgers to come in the future.

Zack in 90's form.