Check out My (new) Cards!

It's been a few months, so I decided it was finally time to request another shipment from COMC. Usually I buy cards, list them for resale at a way to high price and then when the stack is big enough I request shipment. The pile had reached the point where I wanted them in my hands. So, I requested shipment. The baseball ones can be seen below. 

Let's have a look, shall we?

Notice I said "baseball" and not "Red Sox"? I figured it was time I had one of these in my collection. Unlike the Griffey from last time, I've never owned one of these before. Now I do.

Decided I should have one of these too. Actually bought and sold a couple others as I decided this nice on-card signature is the one I wanted. Always nice to grab fun cards of young Red Sox stars.

Picked up a couple Dalbec RC as well. I was on a bit of a run where I wanted to stock up on these rising Red Sox stars before it was too late. So, a cheap Houck auto and a couple cheap Dalbec rookies were needed.

Along those lines, picked up a few Houck parallels while they were cheap. Or, maybe they still are. I dunno. But they can be hard to locate sometimes so it was nice to be able to grab a few.

And Whitlock too! Obviously bought these before he was hurt, and while he was still in the rotation. But, still glad to have these. 

And this one too. Remember when I mentioned my strategy of buying cards, then pricing them high while waiting to ship? I bought one of his other RC autos in April for $6, and priced it at $20 to let it sit. Next night Whitlock makes his first start, dominates, and the card sells for the $20. So, great, that's a nice profit. But...I actually wanted a Whitlock auto. Seems stupid to buy back the one I sold, so I was able to get this better one. For basically the initial $6. So I guess it all worked out.

And there they are! Lots of prospecting this time. Hope it works out.

Do you have a favorite card from the lot?

2022 Topps Series One Blaster!

Found another one of these. Cards are so hit or miss at Target. One day the shelves are empty. Next day 15 boxes of this are sitting there. Next day all gone. But, online it always stocked. So strange.

Let's see how this one went!

Here's the box. This time Topps tricked us by using two photos of the same player. I'm guess there's more than just Ohtani in this box.

But, he's the only one on the packs too.

Not a Red Sox card, but not a bad pull. If it can't be a Red Sox, it would have been nice to be a more hobby popular player. But, I'm certainly not complaining.

Old friend Jose Iglesias. Nice little action shot here. I can really sense the motion.

Based on his reaction, I'm guessing Matt Barnes did something positive in this photo. I can't be sure since he's been struggling a lot lately. Been a while since I've seen a similar reaction.

Speaking of struggling, here's a future star. I suppose that could still be true if Dalbec can turn things around.

And there we have it. A little short on the Red Sox side. But, any time you find the case hit at Target you have to consider it a good box.

How did yours go?

2021 Topps Update Blaster!

It's time to open some more cards! Looks like this will be the first 2021 Topps Update blaster I'll open on here? The design's getting old, but hopefully the cards are new!

How did this one turn out? Let's see!

Here's what the box looks like.

And the packs!

A fairly standard card of old friend Hunter Renfroe. 

A rookie card of bullpen ace Hirokazu Sawamura. Not the greatest face on a rookie card. But, it's no Tony Gwynn.

Another rookie of Mr. Dalbec. Hope he lives up to his promise this year!

A throwback design on Rafael Devers. The colors on this card look great with the uniform. I really enjoy it.

And there you have it. Nothing to write home about. A couple decent players, but not the world's best blaster.

How did yours go?

2021 Topps Fire Blaster

Let's open some more cards! How about another blaster of 2021 Topps Fire? I wonder if we can do better than last time.

How did this one turn out? Let's see!

Here's what the box looks like. Why doesn't Pete Alonso get more hobby love? Topps seems to wonder that too.

I mean, there he is on every pack. That's supposed to make you want to buy more packs!

The first Red Sox card from the box is a good one! Not the best picture of Mr. Houck. But, it's a nice looking card. And, it's a solid rookie of someone who should be a big part of the Sox rotation going forward.

Speaking of future stars, we have Dalbec here! Two players who made big contributions in their rookie seasons, and are expected to be stars for the Sox. Not bad.

Of course, you'd prefer to get card with writing on them, or perhaps some fancier foil. But, I can't complain about probably the two best Red Sox base cards in the set.

Not bad at all.

2021 Bowman Mega Box!

As I've said, I've always enjoyed opening packs of Bowman. And, with the Mega Box, the added chrome variety makes the experience even more fun. How did this box go?

Let's see!

Here's the box. Always fun when a Red Sox player makes it to the cover. Although, it also makes me wonder if that makes it something I should be saving/collecting.

The packs, including the variety I spoke of earlier.

And BAM a Red Sox from one of the special packs. Yorke has had a great year in 2021, potentially justifying his surprise first round selection in 2020. And, perhaps, making me really glad to have this mojo card of his.

And another Red Sox! This one I knew without even having to look him up.

Here's another guy I know of well. And this one's a true rookie card. Dalbec had a lot of hype entering this season. While he's had his ups and downs, he's ended up with having a decent season. Always happy to add one of his cards.

Tanner Houck is another player anticipated to make a big impression on the Sox this year. He's been solid in his role, and at times was just what the team needed. Glad to have his card as his career launches off.

So there you have it. Several key pieces of the future of the Red Sox. Not a bad haul.

How did yours go?

2021 Bowman Blaster!

Always fun to open packs of Bowman. While the design is always treated like an afterthought, there are still some fun players and cards to be had. How did this one go?

Let's get to it!

Here is the box.

And the packs. Only six packs, but an incredible twelve cards per pack!

And the first Red Sox is the surging Dalbec. When the year started, people were mentioning him in the ROY conversation. Then, his start to the season really squelched that...until he's put it all together of late. It's turned into a good year for the rookie. See what I mean about the design, though? Boxes, angles, colors, banners...the borders are a mess. Just like every other Bowman design.

Another Red Sox! Glad they included "outfielder" in JD's position since they're showing him with a glove on his hand.

This shiny retro insert of Tatis harkens back to the days when Bowman wasn't a computer graphics nightmare. A simple name banner. Weird that a brand that started with basically one graphic, if that, evolved into what it has become.

So there you have it. Several Red Sox. A nice insert. Not a bad haul from the blaster.

How did yours go?

2021 Topps Series 1 Blaster!

Yet another box I can't remember where it came from. Not sure if it's from the card vendor story, or not? But, where it came from isn't nearly as important as the fact that it's open and ready to be talked about.

Let's get to it!

You probably don't need to see the box, but it helps me stay organized. I guess you'll have to deal with it,

What am I going to do with yet another card of this guy? Will it ever stop?

Former Red Sox Jon Lester. Lots of pinstripes in the first two cards. With the cropping of this picture, the pinstripes sure do make things a jumbled mess.

Another former Sox pitcher. At least there's no pinstripes here. 

A chrome version of a guy having a pretty good year.

What the....another one??

A nice short print variation of the newest member of the 500 HR club.

I don't like World Series cards as much when they don't feature the Red Sox.

He's off to a bit of a rocky start to his career. But, I think he could still make this card valuable some day.

Nothing super spectacular in the box, but a couple Sox and inserts of other stars. That's about all I usually hope for.

How did your box go?

2021 Topps Series 1 Blaster!

Remember when I wrote about bumping into the card vendor? And, remember when I said I almost didn't buy anything because I had already ordered a few blasters online? Well, today I share the results of one of those blasters! Pretty exciting, right?

Let's get to it!

Yup. They are what I said they are.

The first Red Sox base card of 2021! Not a bad way to start at all. After going last box only getting inserts, this one makes up for it. Definitely expecting bigs things from Dalbec this season.

Boy are these die cuts annoying when trying to flip through a stack of cards. It's like the specifically designed the "7" to catch on all the other cards in the stack.

Another card of a Red Sox young star. This three year vet is actually a year younger than Dalbec. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that.

With any luck, he'll return as the ace of the staff and a Cy Young candidate. The horizontal format of the card actually works well with the design. I actually think the stripes are less intrusive...even though they're right there in the middle of the card.

A Red Sox parallel! Of, a former Red Sox! Ouch.

I'd have to say this box turned out a little better than the first one. Hopefully that upward trend continues!

How did your box go?