Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Tribute : Clayton Kershaw Foundation of Greatness Autograph Black Parallel (42/50)

I went back to the well once again with an eBay seller that I have done countless transaction with in the hope I could snag steal on this card on a day that eBay was running a coupon special. The jury's still out but I in the end no matter what BGS gives this card I think I came out on top.

This is from the 2015 Tribute set which is notorious for being recalled because of condition issues. I have had some luck with cards from that set in the past and was looking to hit another home run on this Kershaw autograph. This books for $100-$200 in Beckett but the seller had this on a BIN for just $85. My mind thought there probably was a conditioning issue and once in hand there happens to be 1 corner with a slight fraying issue. Can it hold the line at a 9 so I can sneak out a 9.5 overall? Maybe but if not I can't see it getting lower than a 8.5 on that category and at worst a mint 9 is what this card would earn.

$85 seems like a slight steal but eBay was running a $15 coupon deal for any transaction that totaled at least $75. Considering this card had been listed for quite some time I reached out and asked my eBay friend what his best deal was and he said $75. So with the coupon added to it the cost to me would only be $60. So for a card that books for $100-200 I think $60 is a decent enough deal. What do you think?

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number TWENTY-FOUR - 2015 Topps Tribute Sandy Koufax Base Black Parallel (33/50) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2015 Topps Tribute Sandy Koufax Black Parallel (33/50)

With a batch close to 60 cards this is the only one that is of the Dodger legend, Mr. Sandy Koufax. That is to be expected as he does not have that many numbered parallels to pick from in the modern area but this black one fits the bill but I say it has a 50/50 shot at a gem mint return. There are 2 corners with some fuzziness around it. Hoping that they can hold to a 9 and the rest of the subs gem as I am sorely lacking in Koufax gems or at least in my point of view when compared to Trout and Kershaw gems.

I'm batting 1000 when it comes to numbered Koufaxs for this batch and that number will not be getting any lower as this is the one and only limited Sandy in the batch.

While I had the 1957 card in this group as well this was the only one with a stated print run and with me snagging this $40 high book black parallel for less than $8 I really wanted to turn it into a great return. To do that I would need this to gem and with me seeing a couple corners with fuzziness I hoped they could hold to a 9 as I believed everything else looked at least 9.5 worthy. When results were released it all went according to plan. Corners received the 9 I expected and everything else gemmed. Slowly but surely getting my graded Koufax collection up to snuff.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number TWO - 2015 Topps Tribute Mike Trout Base Black Parallel (21/50) Now BGS Graded Near Mint Plus 7.5

2015 Topps Tribute Mike Trout Black Parallel (21/50)

The quality of the 2015 Tribute issue rears its ugly head here as this is borderline gem mint/mint and it all comes down to 1 corner that is noticeable even without the loop.

I tried fixing it prior to submitting and if it can pass muster and earn a 9 on that sub grade then I believe this earns a gold 9.5 banner. Of course I have my fingers crossed as I have an iffy feeling about this one. 

Another day with another Trout card result yet still the same grade and same irritation from me towards Beckett as I swear they dropped  this one just like yesterday's card.

Just like the Ginter this Tribute card earned 3 9.5 sub grades yet was given a 7 on corners. I state once again that I would never send a modern card in for grading with damage on any sub grade that would warrant a 7 as it is a waste of money. Ugh... again.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Tribute : Sandy Koufax Base Black Parallel (33/50)

$40 is what the high value is according to Beckett. Sorry not going to spend that for this card even though it is a limited Koufax card.

$15 happens to be the low value that has assigned by Beckett to the card as well. Maybe if I had extra funds on a good day I might entertain that cost but today was not that day.

Now for a little change over $7 I would do that all day everyday and that is exactly what it cost me to pick up another black parallel for my Koufax collection.

This card comes the infamous 2015 Tribute set that was recalled by Topps due to quality issues and this one is not void of said issues. While I was hoping to submit this to BGS and earn a spiffy gold banner I think at best it would earn a mint 9 one. While I don't think this card deserves its $40 high book value I believe I won this on a steal of an eBay deal and couldn't be happier to add another limited addition card to my Koufax collection.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

BGS Submission Result Number FIFTY-SEVEN - 2015 Topps Tribute : Mike Trout Black Autograph (43/50) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2015 Topps Tribute Mike Trout Black Autograph (43/50)

The only Trout autograph in the batch and if/when it comes back with a 9.5 then it will make the acquisition all the sweeter as I picked this up for FREE during the last eBay quarter using eBucks and gift cards.

This card came from Topps in a case and it stayed in the case as I didn't want any potential issues with handling. Under the loop it looks like only the corners might hinder the overall grade as 1 looks a tad rounded.

And I/we have reached the final gem mint (but not the final card of the group) of the batch and what better way than it to be a gem autograph of Mr. Mike Trout.

This card just got even better with the new gold banner affixed to the case. I "won" this on eBay from last year's Christmas quarter using the eBay eBucks that I earned during the quarter. Total money out of pocket? Nothing, zilch, zero, nada. Yup, I love me some eBucks and now I have another gem mint Trout card for my collection.

I still had to hold my breath as I felt that at least one of the sub grades might earn a 9 and potentially 2 would which would have caused this card to earn a silver banner but thankfully only 1 sub grade (surfaces) picked up a 9 while all the others were a 9.5. I breathed a sigh of relief as even though this was "free" I really wanted to gem and gem it did.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Tribute : Mike Trout Base Black Parallel (21/50)

Being in the grading game you sometimes win and sometimes lose when you score a "deal" on a limited card transaction and I feel that while I didn't lose on this one I surely did not hit the jackpot on a future gem mint card,

This card comes from the much maligned Tribute release from last year. The whole product was recalled due to quality issues but even with that knowledge I hoped to land me one of these black parallels of Mr. Trout if I could get it on the cheap. After numerous attempts at another copy (that the seller wouldn't budge on price) this one popped up on the bay with a much lower price and a best offer option as well. After a hour the seller and I agreed on a price and soon after I had the card in hand. While not in terrible shape it definitely is not in pristine or gem mint condition as 3 separate corners have fuzziness. While not frayed they are not pointy. Does that make this card more likely to earn an 8.5 or could it possibly squeeze out a 9 as there is nothing else wrong other than said corners? I might end up doing a RCR when Beckett is back in town in Oct. instead of a full submission to see what they think.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Tribute : Mike Trout Base Autograph Black Parallel (43/50) and eBay Bucks Quarterly Purchase Number Two

While yesterday's Topps High Tek Trout card was nice that to me was the appetizer while this card is the main course and then some. I wanted a nice big hit of Trout for my quarterly eBay eBucks "purchase" and this card fit the bill and damn if it isn't prettier in person.

When I finally decided I wanted to use my eBucks to pick up another Mike Trout autograph for the collection I still had a cap of what I could "purchase" as I was not going to spend a single penny out of pocket to pick one up. At the same time I wanted a copy that would probably grade out as a gem mint 9.5 from BGS when I submit my next batch in March. And of course it had to be an on card autograph as well.

So the search began and not surprisingly there were not may copies that fit my criteria as most were cost prohibitive. Couple weeks passed and this one popped up on the bay with a very high BIN price. Thankfully it had a best offer option but still, the starting point was high. This card hails from the re release of the 2015 Tribute brand which was notoriously recalled due to quality problems. As you can see they were re released in non circulated cases which supposedly preserves the card's condition. This is the black parallel which is numbered out of 50 and with the signature looking perfect and non streaky I decided this was the one I wanted. It was now negotiating time.

It was mid December when this came up for sale and all I can say was that it was perfect timing (luck) once again on my part when I contacted the seller. First off I had to ask if he would let me lock in the card at an agreed price so I could use my eBucks 3 weeks later when they became available. Once he agreed to that I crossed my fingers he would accept a very "low" offer. What I didn't know till after we agreed on everything is that he was basically leaving eBay as he was getting his internet service cut off so I think he was trying to unload his inventory at any reasonable cost and I popped in at the right time. He took my offer and was a man of his word and honored our price and when my eBucks became available on the 3rd of this month he promptly shipped out the card to me and I couldn't be happier. Card looks to be at the very worst a mint 9 card but I think there is a 50/50 chance that it could gem which is obviously what I am hoping for.

Another quarter done and I picked up 2 great cards at no cost to me. Already working towards the next quarter but as always the Christmas one is always the one that bares the biggest "purchase" but I am sure I can find something I will like in April.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

BGS Submission Result Number Seventeen - 2015 Topps Tribute : Joc Pederson Black Printing Plate Autograph (1/1) Now Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2015 Topps Tribute Autograph Printing Plate Pederson

Halfway through the batch and we have arrived at the card I REALLY want/need to get at least a 9.5. This is a 1 of 1 autographed printing plate from the 2015 Tribute release which was recalled by Topps due to quality problems. This card was pulled and put on eBay the 2nd day of the set's release and I was lucky enough to grab it. Printing plates have a notorious history of not so minty grades. When this card made it into my hands I could see no flaws. Everything looks great including the autograph. To be quite honest if this, or should I say when, grades out to a 9.5 I will probably flip it on eBay. Sell high, buy low. Joc's autograph cards have skyrocketed and if I was to have a gem mint 1 of 1 from a product that is basically not on the market anymore it should sell for a pretty penny. Fingers crossing and here's to hoping for that gold banner.

We have arrived to the final card of my most recent BGS submission batch and it is yet another Holy Grail for my collection. While I have been trying to catch up on my Joc Pederson autograph portion of my collection what I don't have in quantity I sure as hell have in quality and it just got better.

When I showed this off and told people that I was submitting it to BGS they kept say, "don't get your hopes up", "its a plate, you will be lucky to get a 9 if that", or rolling their eyes. I held firm in my belief that this card would grade out well. When I was lucky enough to acquire it (great timing) and the day it came in I could see no wrong in this card so it was immediately ear marked for grading and put into the stack.

ONE of FREAKING ONE !!!

Joc's autograph is notoriously hard to get a 10 from Beckett but that as well looked great to me. On top of all that this is a one of one (1/1) from a recalled product because of quality issues. So having a gem mint card from a very limited product that has issues would make this card even a bigger score. The grade came in and not only was it a gem mint it had quad sub grades of 9.5 plus the 10 on autograph. Printing plates are hard to get 9.5's but this one not only received it, it was a strong one with no 9's to be seen.

This truly is my Joc jewel but by the time this post goes live I may or may not have the card anymore. Why you ask? Sell high buy low is why. It is on eBay now for a ridiculous asking price with a best offer option. If someone will overpay for this card I will let it go but if not this is the most recent prized acquisition for my collection. A win either way for me.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2015 Topps Tribute : Joc Pederson Autographed Black Printing Plate (1/1)

Up till late last year I had never owned a serialized one of one card and now I have two of them.

As I alluded in yesterday's Bryant post I picked up two cards for the sale of my one BGS pristine Bryant card and this is the second of the two and it's a dozy.

For those that have not heard this years 2015 Tribute issue has been totally recalled by Topps due to a quality issue involving most of the autograph cards. They used a new process to enhance the cards but instead it caused bubbling and smearing issues instead. Instead of the continued bad press they decided to issues refunds and take back their cards. Even with that there were a lot of cards that made their way onto eBay and thankfully that day and at that time I was searching for a Joc autograph.

I had just acquired the BGS 9.5 refractor of Bryant and wanted to land one more "great" looking card and since I was behind on Joc autographs and Joc cards in general when compared to my Seager and Urias collection I figured I would look for a nice Joc auto. Typed in "Joc auto" into the search box and this was the 1st card to pop up as it had been live on the bay for the grand total of 15 minutes. I knew of the Tribute issues but at the same time this is a printing plate so they would not be applying their new procedure to this "card". The autograph was clean with no issues and corners looked sharp. It was a BIN auction so I hit the button and completed the transaction and had the card in hand within a week.

After the card was in hand I went back and looked at sales of autographed plates and Joc cards in general from the Tribute release and all I can say is I scored a great deal as this card was highly under sold to me and I couldn't be happier. I plan to get this graded by BGS and unlike a lot of plates that seem to have surface issues this one looks great in person. I expect no less than a gem mint return. Not too shabby for no money out of pocket. Thank you again to Kris Bryant and his pristine grade. Ha Ha.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin