Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Now : Clayton Kershaw 1st Ever MLB Save Base Autograph (145/199) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

I couldn't possibly only own the relic version of this card and not pare it up with the non one right? Nope I couldn't and finally one of these popped up that was already certified gem mint 9.5 by Beckett and I was determined to land it.

There has been shortage of raw versions of this card but I am really just trying to hold out for the graded cards that I want going forward and I don't remember seeing one of this before this one showed up. Knowing past sales of this card I knew what my ceiling would be and I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't go for all that much more than a few raw ones had sold a couple days prior to this one.

I now have the relic and this one. If I was going go crazy I could go after all the parallels but I won't be unless they can be had for a major steal. Another gem for my road to 100 project of Clayton.

One Hundred and Forty-Five

of

One Hundred and Ninety-Nine

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2013 Topps Museum : Clayton Kershaw Base Frame Autograph Black Parallel (5/5)

Very surprised I landed this but at the same time I am a tad worried about what grade it will receive from BGS when I submit it considering the low cost to acquire this card.

This is the 2nd of 2 cards I picked up using the funds from the sales of the cards I did not like the results from in my recent BGS batch. I am also on the look out for Kershaw autographs and metal frame ones are on top of the list. I already have the Gold frame from the 2015 set and roughly remember what that cost was. It was already in a BGS 9.5 case so there is a premium attached to that card. This one though popped up one morning when I was just doing one of my random searches and it was being sold by a well know eBay seller but their asking price seemed very low to me. I took a chance though knowing the seller and hoping I just landed a deal if this card indeed earns a 9.5 from Beckett. At worst it is a great card to have in my collection but man do I want this badly to gem.

Cinco

of

Cinco

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Transcendent : Clayton Kershaw Framed Autograph (7/52) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

It took a lot longer than I thought it would and also believed I lost my chance at this card but after weeks of waiting and wondering I snagged this when the seller finally met my price and surprised that it was there for the taking.

This beautiful framed autograph (love metal framed cards) of the Dodger great was on eBay for a long while with a high asking price which I had no intention of ever touching. I checked past sales and came up with an amount I would be happy with if it ever got to that point. Days went by which turned into weeks and every so often the seller lowered his price (he had no best offer option) and when he was finally about $70 from my price I contacted him about letting it go at my price. He politely declined but said just keep checking back to see how low it would go. He stated he was motivated to move it but just not yet at my offer price.

More days passed and then each day he lowered it $10 here, $5 there and when I went to bed 1 Friday it was only $20 from my price. I woke up Saturday morning and saw his new selling price was a couple dollars lower than my offer. Woo hoo. I snagged it and now own 1 of 3 autographs (Seager and Trout being the others) that I would love to own from this high end Topps brand. Of course it being in a BGS was a main selling point as well as I don't have to worry about this card not gemming.

Seven

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Fifty-Two

A perfect 10

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

Card of the Day - 2016 Topps Strata : Clayton Kershaw Signatures Patch Autograph (27/55) BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

See card
Want card
Get card

Simple right? Not always. I am a fan of all Kershaw autographs that are on card and if it is already in a BGS case all the better. Of course with this being a POP 1 (at the time of acquisition) more attention is drawn to the card. With me selling off non gems of Seager and Kershaw I usually have funds for when something pops up and that was no different when this did.

I expected a little bidding war but not one that took it all the way to waning seconds of the auction. I wasn't a fan of the ending price but with nothing coming out of pocket I won't bitch too much about it as it is another 9.5 for the Kershaw collection and that is always a good thing.

Twenty-Seven

of

Fifty-Five

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

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?

Forty-Two

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Fifty

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number FORTY of FORTY-TWO - 2015 Allen Ginter Clayton Kershaw Mini Frame Autograph Red Ink Variant (4/10) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

I/we have reached the final Kershaw and autograph of this 42 card batch and to me the best of the group bar none.

Though I have a couple other red ink autographs of Clayton is this my first Allen Ginter one. They are always hard to track down since their print run rarely changes from a total of 10 any given year. When I picked this card up I had every intention of getting it graded and since the base version of this graded out as a 9.5/9 as shown earlier this was important to me for it to earn a 9.5/10. Once in hand I believed it would achieve that grade but knowing how nothing was assured I crossed my fingers. I didn't go the raw review route as that batch was getting too big and I was confident and have faith this would come out OK and that it did. Quad 9.5's with the all important 10 on autograph and this is now my favorite Ginter Kershaw in my collection by far.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-NINE of FORTY-TWO - 2015 Topps Supreme Clayton Kershaw Magenta Printing Plate Autograph (1/1) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Half way there to the ultimate Kershaw autograph project albeit not the priciest.

Having one autograph plate is a nice thing but have 2 of the 4 to make a card is a nice achievement. Having both in gem mint condition is just crazy. Crazy why? Printing plates are know to have flaws as they are used to make the cards so are constantly being "handled". No surprise that this one received a 9 for its surface but thankfully everything else checked out OK with a 9.5 and I now have the yellow and this magenta and still on the look out for the cyan and black ones. If anyone happens to come across them please point me in that direction as it would one helluva an accomplishment to own all for 1 of 1's.

Another 1 of 1 gem

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-EIGHT of FORTY-TWO - 2015 Topps High Tek Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Red Orbit Parallel (3/5) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Yesterday it was 2014 and today its 2015 and hopefully in the future it will be 2016. Topps and their High Tek brand has produced red parallels in each of those 3 years and I have the 2014 and now the 2015 in gem mint BGS holders. On the look out for 2016 to complete the trifecta.

This High Tek goes against the norm for this batch as it was the corners and not the surfaces that checked in with a 9. No matter as the overall is still a gem mint 9.5 and that is all that matters at the end of the day. I hope to get the 2016 at some point and get a 9.5 attached to that one as well as that would be a nice little 3 card set to own for this Kershaw fan.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-SEVEN of FORTY-TWO - 2014 Topps High Tek Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Red Storm Parallel (4/10) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Oh look, a High Tek card that doesn't have an issue with its surface and to top it off its a very limited (4/10) Kershaw autograph.

This card sat on eBay for months and no one touched it till I did when the seller just gave up and put such a low asking price for it. I scoped it up and thought it would gem when I did decide to submit it to BGS. Low and behold it did just that as not a single grade less than a 9.5 was earned by this card. What would be great is if I can land the other 2 red Tek autos from 2015 and 2016 to make this a nice little 3 card project. Oh wait I think I have another, see you tomorrow.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-SIX of FORTY-TWO - 2016 Topps Now Clayton Kershaw Relic Autograph (14/99) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Another card that went in for the full slab treatment that I knew the grade going in. With this being a thick card I really wanted to know what it would grade out to be before heading to Dallas and during the raw grade event I was lucky to find out it would receive a gold banner. Now its in this great looking case.

This comes from one of the more dramatic playoff games in recent Dodger history as Clayton came in from the bullpen to close out the game and series just 2 days after he won game 4 as a starter. Starter, closer this man does everything. I had to have a card depicting this great achievement and now I have it with this quad 9.5 gem mint card.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-FIVE of FORTY-TWO - 2016 Topps High Tek Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Sky Rainbow Parallel (10/20) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

And with this recap post we come to the final entry of the batch of 2016 High Tek autographs of Clayton and another gem mint return to complete a clean sweep of cards from this year.

I set out to a complete rainbow of autographs from this set and each and every one that I submitted received a gold banner. The only one I am looking for now is the red one which has a print run of just 5. What is funny is I have the previous 2 years of reds (more on that shortly) but not this years. Once again though the surface sub grade is the one category that did not receive at least a 9.5. No matter as the other subs garnered 2 10's and a 9.5 and this beautiful blue parallel completes my project for the time being.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-THREE of FORTY-TWO - 2012 Topps Heritage Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Though there are higher priced cards still to show off this one is probably the biggest surprise as it earned an unexpected gem mint 9.5.

I love this design and its probably my favorite of all the Topps Heritage years. When I acquired this from on overseas blogger I thought it would come back as a 9 at best. Even though I would always prefer a 9.5 I was going to be happy with a 9. I didn't want to wait for find out its grade so I did a raw grade review and they slapped a 9.5 label on it. Very happy to see that and couldn't believe it. Of course I sent it in for the full slab treatment and not only did it come back as a gem mint it came back a strong one as it has 3 9.5 subs and a 10 as the cherry on top.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY-ONE of FORTY-TWO - 2016 Topps High Tek Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Orange Magma Parallel (11/25) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Another hit on my quest of having the autograph rainbow of Kershaw from the 2016 Topps High Tek set and unlike the others shown so far this one is void of surfaces issues.

With the print run being only 25 this one gemming was a tad more important than the others as how many times will I have had the chance to pick this parallel up? Thankfully I will not have to put that to the test as this is a strong 9.5 and slots in nicely in my rainbow project. The only I have to find now is the red parallel but with a print run of just 5 it might be a long time coming for that to make into my hands.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number THIRTY of FORTY-TWO - 2008 Topps Update Clayton Kershaw Base Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

A simple card that looks great in its new hard BGS case.

This was another one of the raw grade review cards I sent in which I knew what it was receiving before going in for the slab treatment. These rookie cards of the Kershaw are starting to pick up a little steam and I wanted one for my collection but didn't want to pay the price for it. Well a seller on eBay had on in a RCR case which meant less traffic for his auction. His loss, my win.

I didn't and don't care what the sub grades were going to be as I just wanted a gem mint of Clayton. So even with that 9 on surface I am more than happy with having this card finally in its final case after a long journey from raw, to RCR case, to eBay, to me and finally to Dallas for casing.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number TWENTY-SEVEN of FORTY-TWO - 2016 Topps High Tek Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Gold Rainbow Parallel (35/50) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Another day, another Kershaw autograph from the High Tek and another surface sub grade of a 9 but thankfully another gold banner at the end of the day.

What seems to becoming a theme here, all my High Tek card's and their surfaces are not receiving a 9.5 but in the end as long as all the other categories achieve that status then I am good to go. That said this card did what it needed to do to be color coordinated. I like Kershaw autographs and all but the more and more I see these High Tek "crazy" designs I might move away from this brand. Not sure but till then this is a fine addition to the road of 100+ Clayton signatures.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number TWENTY-FIVE of FORTY-TWO - 2014 Topps Tier One Clayton Kershaw Acclaimed Autograph (32/50) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Another day another gem mint return of a Clayton Kershaw autograph from my most recent batch of cards.

One of the things that puts a smile on my face is when a card comes back as a 9.5 (or better) and knowing what I "spent" or in a lot cases didn't spend to pick up a card and then it turns into gold. This is another one of those as I snagged this with a few coupons and barely anything out of pocket. Now it's in a nice golden case. With this being an acetate (plastic) card once again surfaces were the low grade of the 4 categories. More and more this is happening in my cards. Makes me think I should stay away from them even though corners and edges usually gem.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number TWENTY-FOUR of FORTY-TWO - 2014 Topps Tribute Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Yellow Parallel (6/30) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Another "sure" thing when I sent this in for grading. This card was originally in a PSA 10 case and I had BGS do a raw review on it to make sure it would receive a 9.5 and they said it would.

Another Tribute autograph of Kershaw with no problems as it also received quad 9.5's from Beckett. At one point I had hoped the 2014 Tribute set would be the 1st autograph rainbow of Kershaw I would complete but the prices of these are quite pricey compared to the High Tek set so this yellow (30 print run) might be the lowest numbered parallel I will own.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number TWENTY-TWO of FORTY-TWO - 2012 Topps Tribute Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Blue Parallel (17/50) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Nothing like a blue autograph parallel of the best pitcher in baseball aka the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw.

I've had pretty good luck with the Tribute brand when submitting them to BGS for the grading treatment and this 2012 card is no different as it officially joins the gem mint section of my collection. Didn't expect any issues with it when I included it in the batch and there was none to be found by Beckett as well. Quad 9.5 sub grades with a 10 on auto and this beautiful card just got a little prettier.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number SEVENTEEN of FORTY-TWO - 2012 Topps Museum Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Photo B (79/100) Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Third time IS the charm for me.

I have submitted other copies of this card 2 other times and each time they came back as an 8.5. I have photo A in a mint 9 case and I "had" to have this photo B one in one too but till today I have had no such luck.

I did not expect this to earn an overall 9.5 but I am not going to complain as I finally completed this minor 2 card project. I could have just had the others encased in a certified slab but since I had the other one graded it would have looked odd next to each other. I expected corners to possibly be an issue because that is what the other 2 had a problem with. This one had no such problem there but it was surface that came in with the less than 9.5 sub.

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin

March 2017 BGS Submission Result Number SIXTEEN of FORTY-TWO - 2016 Topps High Tek Clayton Kershaw Base Autograph Now BGS Graded Gem Mint 9.5

Well this is a nice start to what I hope is a complete rainbow of Kershaw autographs from the 2016 Topps High Tek set. Even though this is "just" the base version it is an important piece to the project which I hope to complete.

Of all the possible rainbow projects the High Tek brand will probably be the easiest to complete as it is not one of high demand among collectors so I hope to use that to my advantage. I have a lot of the parallels in this batch and was confident that they would all gem and even though this one earned a 9 on surface it still easily made the gold banner club with 2 10 subs. A side note on these plastic/acetate cards. I have noticed in the past few batches that there are a lot more surface issues in the eyes of the graders. Anyone else have the same issue?

Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

-Penguin