March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number TWENTY-SIX of FORTY-TWO - 2016 Topps Heritage Julio Urias Base Chrome Black Refractor Parallel (54/67) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Other than the autographs I already own of Julio Urias this is the most important rookie card of the young pitcher in my eyes and now it has been turned into gold.

The Heritage brand is a beloved each year it comes out and 2016 was no different. Julio was not in the 1st series but was included the in the update set. Unlike Corey Seager (big mistake by Topps) they did a black chrome parallel of Urias and included it in packs. Numbered out of only 67 I was determined to pick one up for my collection and thankfully I did then as if Julio has a great career this is going to be a key piece I believe. When it arrived I thought it might have a corner issue when I submitted it for grading but not only did it not they received a 9.5 to go along with 2 more 9.5's and a 10. This is a solid gem mint 9.5 and glad I can call it mine.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number FOURTEEN of FORTY-TWO - 2016 Topps Heritage Julio Urias Base Mini Parallel (43/100) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Entry number 14 and the first of many gold banner returns from the batch. Time to get the bad taste out of my mouth of the last 13 results.

Numbered rookie cards are always one of my main pursuits of the players I collect and when I landed this mini Heritage of the young Dodgers phenom Julio I crossed my fingers as I knew it was centering that was going to come in with a 9. Just eyeballing it I knew it wouldn't gem unless the grader was blind so I had to hope that the other 3 subs would earn a 9.5 which they did.

While this mini is not a real money maker it is nice to have a limited numbered rookie that is certified gem mint for the collection.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Heritage : Corey Seager Base Autograph BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

It sat and sat and sat some more. This gem mint graded autograph of the Dodgers young superstar Corey Seager stayed on my watch list for months as it's auction kept recycling every month as no one acquired it. I already own the red ink version of this card which is numbered to a mere 67 but I always wanted this base version to pare it up with its red brother. The problem was every time I was ready to buckle down and get it something else popped up that had to get my attention so this card kept going on being unpurchased.

There was/are always a fair amount of raw versions of this card to be had but I wanted a "sure" thing and knew when I did pick this up I wanted it in 9.5 condition. That is why I wanted this particular one and surprised it went unclaimed all this time. I finally had funds in hand from other trades/sales and was ready to finally pick this up as the BIN price was reasonable and a lot of people agreed with me as the watch list was over 15 at the time. Of course I then decided to get greedy and thankfully it paid off.

eBay had not run an eBucks promotion for a few weeks and I had an odd feeling that they would be in a day or so and sure enough I received an email a day after I decided to pick this up and with that I promptly went to the auction to lock in down. A week later I received my card that I had long wanted and now sits next to the red ink variant.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Heritage : Julio Urias Base Mini Parallel (43/100)

As I have decided to collect Julio Urias cards once again and while the majority will be autographs I will venture out and pick up some nice parallels if they could be had a steal and are BGS worthy. This mini fits into both of those categories.

I do love me minis especially if they are the numbered variety with me already acquiring other minis from the 2016 Heritage release this card's acquisition was a no brainer. The hardest part of this purchase though was the bargining with the eBay seller as we both were very stubborn. This books at a high of $40 and a low of $20 but the seller had it as a $22 OBO BIN. I thought I could get him down closer to $10 than the amount I ended up paying which was a higher than $15. While not the biggest bargain I have had on eBay it might just end up OK in the end as in hand I see only 1 corner with a slight issue. Thinking and hoping this gems when Beckett is back in town in March.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Heritage : Julio Urias Base Chrome Black Refractor Parallel (54/67)

I'm back in the Julio collecting club as I acquired my first non autograph of the young budding star. Now that I am collecting Urias cards again I decided to only collect autographs from any year that has him but I adjusted it a little to collect numbered parallels from 2016 sets and forward. I am not going to go backwards and try to "catch up" with all his prospect cards.

I love the Heritage brand and what better card to be my 1st parallel of Julio than this limited black refractor? Julio's card prices are down but even I was surprised how low this card "cost" me as previous copies had sold for over the $40 barrier yet I snagged this at under $30 and with low book at $25 I consider this a steal. With it in hand and equiped with my new 20x loop I am pretty confident that this will earn a 9.5 when I submit it to Beckett for grading. The only issue with the card is that the corners are a tad soft but only under the loop and not the naked eye and centering is slightly off but not bad enough to knock it down a grade notch.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-EIGHT - 2016 Topps Heritage Mike Trout Base Mini Parallel (50/100) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Topps Heritage Mike Trout Mini Parallel (50/100)

This would be a nice coup if this mini Trout comes back with a gold banner and I believe it happens more than it won't.

I love minis and I love the Heritage brand and this card only seems to have one small issue as a corner on the backside is ever so slightly not sharpie sharp. I don't think that will be that big of an issue and I expect a 9.5 from Beckett. 

I waited out months on an eBay seller to acquire this at the price I was happy with and now my patience has really paid off as I now have yet another numbered card of Trout certified as gem mint.

As expected the corner on the back did receive a 9 on that category but thankfully nothing else was dinged and this card received my desired 9.5 overall grade. Unlike variant cards it is hard for me to part with parallel cards and I do not foresee me flipping this but you never know.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin 

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-SIX - 2016 Topps Heritage Mike Trout Base Gum Back Variant Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Topps Heritage Mike Trout Gum Stain Back Variant 

Hoping that both my gum stain variants come back in gem mint form but if 1 was more of a sure thing it would be this Trout one over the Kershaw version. I saw nothing wrong with and if you look at it here it looks almost dead on centered and under the loop is where you see that seems to be the only flaw of the card as it is ever so off centered. Gold banner or bust BGS.

Guess Beckett went nit picking with this card but considering it is a paper variety I should just be happy that a gold banner adorns this variant.

I didn't say it in my original write up but thought this had an outside chance at receiving a perfect 10 but instead it received 4 9.5's which is fine by me. Though I love this card I may or may not use it for trade bait to get something I really want/need but having it now in this case makes it much easier to move it I ever go that route. 

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

September 2016 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTEEN - 2016 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Punch Out Top Loader Autograph (10/10) Now BGS Graded Mint 9.0

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

Even though it is not a 9.5 and "just" a plain ole mint 9 I am more than happy that I know the grade going in as I crossed my fingers on the raw grade review as I had to use some elbow grease to get a corner flattened enough for it to pass. I believe when I get this card back with the full sub grades revealed that corners will come in at a 8.5 while the rest will be high if not all 9.5's. 

Well this is an interesting return. I suspected that this would come back as a 9 from the RCR which I was correct but what I wasn't right about is the reason it earned that grade. I worked a corner for a few days to get it flattened and I guess I did such a good job BGS gave it a 9.5! What? I knew centering wouldn't be an issue as that came back as a 9.5 as well but it was surfaces and edges that earned a 9 to make this an overall 9 card.

All said that means this card is only .5 from a gem mint 9.5. I might send it back in for a RCR and hope I can get surfaces to bump as I think me working on the damaged corner is probably what caused the edges to come in as a 9. Nonetheless this is a pleasant surprise and welcome addition.

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

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Heritage : Mike Trout Base Mini Parallel (50/100)

Time and patience with a new seller to eBay finally lands me a card that just does not show up very often for purchase.

I snagged the Kershaw version of this 2016 Heritage mini awhile back and even turned it into a BGS gem mint beauty but my quest for a Mike Trout copy has been a long one as when these ever do show up on eBay the selling/asking price has been in the triple digits. I wanted the card but not in that price range so it remained on  my want list for many months.

One day this one popped up on the auction site and the asking price was also in the triple digits (120+ I believe but don't quote me) but it was being sold by someone new to eBay. His feedback was 1. He did include a best offer option which I did send one in at a ridiculous low amount. He countered but I wasn't interested in his offer. The card went unsold and he relisted it with a slightly lower asking price but again it went unsold. He then put up again for an asking price of $100, then $90, then $80 and yet no one bit. I attest that too his newness on eBay and finally I swooped back in and sent him my last and final offer. Beckett has this listed at a high of $150 and a low of $75 and yet I acquired it for lower than low book. A huge win for me.

With the Kershaw card in gem mint form I wanted to add a Trout version to pare them up but with this being a new seller I held my breath on the card's condition. When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised that it was in much better shape than I hoped for and I believe it will earn a gold banner from BGS.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Heritage : Clayton Kershaw Punch Out Toploader Autograph (10/10)

I had seen this card and others like it on eBay for awhile and with its scant print run of just 10 I didn't figure I would ever pick a copy up for my collection. Since it wasn't high on my wishlist I wasn't pursuing it as hard as I do other cards.

I believe it was this exact card (could have been a different copy) but it was on a BIN auction with a crazy asking price but finally the seller decided to list it on a traditional auction which meant I put it on my watch list to see if I could score a deal or not. I expected there would be decent action on this card and I wasn't wrong but as the final seconds of the auction approached I noticed that the high bid was way below what my personal ceiling was for the card. At the last moment I put in a token bid of just $2 over the high bid as I decided I either wanted a great deal or nothing at all. To my surprise my bid made me the winner for what I feel was way below value. I am not going to complain as this acquisition helps me to my overall goal of 100 Kershaw autos.

I knew this card would be "oversized" and didn't know what to expect condition wise but knowing I want all my Kershaw autographs to be at least mint I crossed my fingers. Now that it is in hand I think it has a very good chance of earning a 9.5 from BGS with a 9 almost a formality but we shall see in shortly.

Ten

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

BGS Submission Result Number FIFTY-FIVE - 2016 Topps Heritage : Mike Trout Base Chrome Black Refractor Parallel (18/67) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

We come to the last 3 gem mints of my most recent BGS batch and they all happen to be of the young superstar of the Anaheim Angels, Mike Trout.

I noticed that I did not do a write up in my BGS submission post but I remember exactly what I would have said. When I picked this up it was the very 1st black chrome from this year's Heritage release to be sold on eBay. I took a gamble as I wanted it in time for my submission so even though I felt that centering was going to be an issue I pulled the trigger and acquired and hoped that the other 3 sub grades would earn a 9.5 to offset the expected 9 on said centering. Off the card went to BGS and it came back exactly like I expected.

The most important thing to me was the gold banner but when I looked at the sub grades they were 9,9.5,9.5 and 9.5. That 9 was earned on centering just like I thought it would and thankfully the other 3 in fact earned the needed 9.5's to offset that 9. Another great looking black chrome of Mike for the collection and now I wait for 2017 to get the next Heritage black chrome of Mr. Trout.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

BGS Submission Result Number FORTY-NINE - 2016 Topps Heritage : Clayton Kershaw Base Chrome Black Refractor Parallel (55/67) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Black Chrome Refractor (55/67)

Another Kershaw card that sadly falls into the borderline pile of 9.0 or 9.5 when it comes to what grade BGS will give this.

Last year I bought my one and only Heritage black of Clayton and sent it to BGS and it came back with a nice gold banner across the top of the slab. While I was confident that card would earn a 9.5 I am not that sure on this one. Centering, surface and edges look to be good to me but there is a corner flaw on the backside of the card. While I hope it can hold to a 9 past history lends to the fact it might receive an 8.5 on that sub grade. We shall see if I will be hunting for another copy in the future to get a 9.5 but hopefully it won't come to that.

A sigh of relief could be heard coming from me when I learned of this card's grade as I now no longer have the thought that I might have to go find another copy to insure I have a gem mint in my collection.

The 3 sub grades that I thought would have no issues indeed had none with even surfaces earning a 10. The 1 issue I thought might arise did to a point. A corner on the backside gave me pause but in the end it wasn't bad enough in Beckett's eyes as it earned a 9 and in turn the card earned an overall gem mint 9.5 grade. The black chromes from Heritage are always a popular parallel and I didn't want to have to find another one and now I officially can say I won't have to.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Heritage : Corey Seager Real One Autograph Red Ink Variant (31/67) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

The pickiness aka perfectionist in me has struck again as even though I have/had this card in raw form (which I showcased recently) I went and sold that one so I could get my hands on this one instead. Why? Because of all the cards that are coming out this year (which some people like to call his rookie year in cards which in my mind its not. That would 2012 Bowman Chrome in my opinion) this is probably 1 of a handful that will hold its value and will be a key piece to own down the road.

When I acquired the raw version I had visions of submitting it to BGS with the hope of a gem mint return. Once the card made it to me I looked at all the areas and came away with the thinking that even though one corner was a little soft I believed it had a decent chance at a 9.5 return. I tucked it away and then for some reason something gnawed at me to look at the back of the card. So when I went home one day I flipped it and noticed one of the worst centering or lack thereof jobs I have seen on any of my cards. It might have been 85/15 at best. No way with that would I get my gold banner. I was bummed but then I remembered that this graded card was on eBay and I sent over an offer on a day that eBay was running a special eBucks program and thankfully he took the deal. I sold the raw card to compensate for most of the cost of this graded one.

There are only 67 copies of this card and only 3 (as of this writing) that have earned a gold banner and only 1 of 2 that has a 10 sub grade. There will be many autograph cards of Corey this year but the Heritage red inks continue to hold much interest and value through the years and this one should be no different.

Minty !!!

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

BGS Submission Result Number FORTY-TWO - 2016 Topps Heritage : Mike Trout Base Action Photo Variation Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Topps Heritage Mike Trout Action Photo Variation

Another Heritage card and another expected so so return.

Just like the Kershaw before it I think this Trout will have a hard time earning a gold banner and if it does its only because the one flaw on the back side holds at a 9 while everything else comes in with a 9.5. Not holding my breath but I can still hope can't I?

I was way off on the prediction of what this card was going to receive. So much that even Beckett decided to make a blunder itself as well.

When I first looked at this card I swear I saw a flaw on the back but they saw no such thing and this card ended up with 3 9.5's and a 10. A strong return. What is funny is that if you look at the gold banner you will notice that they labeled it as a 2015 when in fact it is a 2016. Wording to me doesn't matter as it is the grade that does and gold is all that I am looking and hoping for.

On a side not by the time this post goes live I might not have this card. Why you ask as Trout is a PC? Money that is why. I noticed a PSA 10 on eBay selling for almost 5x what a raw version is selling for. Damn. So I decided to put this one up on the bay to see if I can get the same amount. If I do then I will just buy another raw version of this card and use the excess funds for some other cards. I just love to do the eBay hustle.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Heritage : Clayton Kershaw Base Gum Stain Back Variant

Searching and hunting for fewer cards now it's more fulfilling when I finally do land one even though I could have had this anytime I wanted as it was acquired on an eBay transaction with zero hassle.

I had secured the Trout gum stain awhile back and wanted to pick up the Kershaw to complete the mini 2 card project but I got side tracked looking at other cards. When I finally realized I forgot to pick this up I ventured back onto eBay and saw this copy had been on the bay for at least 2 go arounds on 30 day BIN auctions. The seller had a higher than book value asking price which is probably why it hadn't sold yet. Hoping that would be in my favor and he would let it go at a lower price I sent over an offer of half of what he was looking for and not a hour later I was sent an email from eBay confirming the auction win. A win without countering is always a good thing.

Even though it wouldn't raise the value all that much I am sending this bad boy to BGS hoping for another gold banner for my Kershaw collection.

Ahh... It's stained...

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

BGS Submission Result Number FORTY - 2016 Topps Heritage : Corey Seager Base Photo Variation Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Topps Heritage Corey Seager Photo Variation

I debated on submitting this Corey card as I believe it is destined to earn a measly 9 instead of a coveted 9.5 but in the end I pulled the trigger and threw it in the pile for slabbing.

Like most paper cards this Heritage card is not without its flaws as there is a corner issue on the back of this copy. I am just hoping it holds to a 9 and doesn't get dropped into the 8.5 category and if so some reason it does then it will find itself dropped back onto eBay to offset the cost of acquiring a better conditioned card. 

Color me surprised and consider me happy that this Seager SP card came back with a gold banner and not the expected silver version.

I expected centering to be an issue even though I didn't mention it as it was a corner on the back that I was more worried about but BGS didn't see what I saw and handed them a gem mint 9.5. Coupled with 2 more 9.5's and I ended up with another gem of a Seager card for my collection and I couldn't be happier. Keep them coming Beckett.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Heritage : Corey Seager Base Autograph Red Ink Variant (20/67)

The biggest autograph that is/was currently on my 2016 checklist has finally been tracked down and acquired after a long search. As always timing came into play and hopefully I can turn this into a BGS gem mint but that I believe is a 50/50 scenario.

Other than limited Kershaw and Trout autographs the 2 other "must have" autographs I was after were the upcoming Allen Ginter mini frame of Corey and this Topps Heritage red ink variant of Mr. Seager. With only 67 copies for red inks this year I knew when it was announced he would be featured in the set it would be a challenge to pick up 1 of them for my collection and I wasn't wrong. Right out the gate these were flying off the eBay shelves as I decided to sit on the sidelines and watch and hope for them to go down in price. They did but not as much as I would like.

Almost a couple months went by and this one popped up on eBay with a very high asking price. But after a week or so the price had dropped so far that with current auctions I was running I could pick it up if I could talk the seller down just a little more. I contacted him about moving it for just a little lower and he was accommodating and sent me a private offer which I had 2 days to accept. I hustled my auctions and made sure they would sell and with that I picked up this red beauty. He guaranteed that it was in tip top condition and for the most part he wasn't lying. Everything checked out except for 1 corner that had a fraying problem. The good thing is that you can't see it with the naked eye but only under a 10x loop. My hope is that corners can hold the line at a 9 with everything else coming back a 9.5 so I can have an overall 9.5 for this great card.

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Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-SIX - 2016 Topps Heritage : Clayton Kershaw Base Color Swap Variation Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Color Swap

If this earns a 9.5 then it will be a major shock and a coup for me.

Most of this batch is made up of chrome cards but this Heritage is good old paper and there is a suspect edge that I think at best earn a 9. That would be fine but with centering obviously not 50/50 then I fear that this will come back with a silver banner. Damn..

This is when I am happy that I am 100% wrong as not only did this receive a gold banner it also had no issues with centering and edges like I thought it would.

Since centering earned a 9.5 I am going to say it made it by a the hair as I still don't think is centered 50/50. What was more surprising is that the edge I thought would be an issue never materialized so that was a good thing. What is not a surprise was there was one sub grade with a 9 and that would be the corners once again on this paper card. Not going to complain as its another gem for my collection. Woo Hoo.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin 

BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-FOUR - 2016 Topps Heritage : Clayton Kershaw Base Mini Parallel (16/100) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

2016 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Mini (16/100)

I may or may not move away from grading these paper cards as it seems more times than not there is some small issue and this one is no different. Unlike Ginger which I seem to have pretty good luck on Heritage here does me wrong when I buy/acquire them and this one comes with a slight flaw on a corner on the back side. While everything else looks great will that one issue drag the overall grade down? Hopefully not but not holding my breath.

While I hit it on the head that there would be 1 issue that might cause the grade to go down I was wrong on which sub grade that would be as I expected a fraying corner on the back to give me an issue but instead it was centering that earned the lower grade.

Under the loop I swear I could see a corner that had an issue but Beckett did not as they gave them a 9.5 and thankfully they did as if that would have been coupled with the 9 centering received I would have been left with a silver banner but instead though I have another Kershaw gold banner. 

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day,

-Penguin