2008 Stadium Club Blaster Break

Thank God this was only $3.20 with tax because that is all this whole blaster was worth to me. I'm just going to list the 1st day Issue cards I got because there was no Pujols or Jeter. So here goes:

6 Granderson
9 Soriano
15 Gordon
63 Youkilis
75 Howard
87 Rollins
133 Hu RC
144 Ruggiano RC

Target's Stadium Club Frenzy

Well, it seems as though I have created an interesting topic around these parts. I made an attempt bright and early (noon) to head up to the Target that I originally discovered this $2.99 bargain at, only to find air. They had 2008 Sweet Spot tins for $29.99 though, I didn't buy one. Then I traveled to the one in the mall I am in everyday, and they had nothing which I knew would happen.

Here is where my day gets pathetic. After the gym I decide to try and get myself to another Target that is about 20 miles away. After sitting in traffic, and getting lost I finally find it. I found one box for $2.99, and checked the sku's on the packs and they are not the same. I had suspected that was what the problem or party was, but it's not. Then sat in more traffic on my way home, and ended up driving a total of 45 miles to spend $3.20.

Sooz picked up 3 at one Target and 1 at another today in South Jersey. I picked up mine in North Jersey (or the third ring of hell).

The things we do for cardboard.

If anyone that has picked these up wants to post what they got, feel free to throw it in the comments if you got something great. And even more so, feel free to throw me some Pujols cards for the sweet tip off, since I have yet to get one.

2008 Topps Stadium Club Beam Team...

I managed to get my brother on the cardboard bandwagon for my birthday, which worked out great for me. He bought me a hobby box of Heritage High Series that I have been waiting to open for a week now and a sweet Robinson Cano autograph from the 2008 Topps Stadium Club.

I really want to open the box but I ate so much cake I'm literally falling asleep from the sugar. I don't normally eat that much sugar, so I'm coming down quickly from that high.

Target and Blasters...

Clearly you all know that we have some serious issues buying things all the time, we have established that. However, this time I can't even get mad at myself for this purchase.

I was wandering around the mall with a friend of mine looking for a birthday present for a 1 year old, and we ended up in Modells looking for little Yankees outfits. I spotted a 2008 Timeline blaster, still $24.99 with the promise of 1 memorabilia card in every box. Despite that promise, I decided that I am not paying more than $19.99 for a blaster, and mustered the courage to leave empty handed. On to Target we went (the second Target of the day mind you)...

In Target I see 2008 Timeline blasters for $14.99, and I think perfect just a little something to get me through the day. I continue to rummage and find a 2008 Topps Stadium Club blaster for $19.99, sweet! I carry these around and pick up a pack of gum, and a bottle of shampoo and proceed to checkout. The cashier scans all my stuff, and says, "$23.15, please". Yeah, $23.15. I was like ummm.... sure. I swiped my card, paid, and then proceeded to dance to the car. My Stadium Club blaster rang up for $2.99!!!!!!!!!! Way to go Target for using the same bar code for packs and blasters... YEAH!! I win.

I didn't open them yet. Sooz and I smashed a 2007 hobby box of Bowman Heritage, 2 2008 UD Masterpieces blasters, and I got my Pujols card.

The 2 blasters were pretty sad, and the Heritage was sad also. I did however, get a Pujols base card from the Heritage that I didn't have so that worked out well, and Sooz got a couple of cards she wanted out of it. The blasters had a couple of things that I'll post later on with the interesting cards from the Heritage box.

My first Albert Pujols Auto.... Dual GU/AU

Sooz came over today as planned to do dinner and hang out for my upcoming birthday, and she brought me a present and even cards! (The greeting kind.) I also got 2 giant bottle of Wawa Diet Lemonade Tea, which is my favorite. I could sit here and list at least a hundred reasons why Sooz is my best friend. But, I am going to use just two words that say it all: Albert Pujols.

Here is the best birthday present anyone could have ever given me:
A 2008 Topps Stadium Club Triumvirate Albert Pujols Triple Relic Autograph, 36/99


The card also came in a clever Chinese food type box, which made me smile because I like steamed Chinese food very much. This was the best birthday present anyone has ever given me. I thought I had a great blog all set up for today, but once I saw Sooz that blog will be for tomorrow because this trumps all. I have been smiling from ear to ear.

Hobby vs. Retail

I've noticed a trend in some of the blogs we visit are comparing hobby vs. retail and I felt the need to add my 2 cents. I work part-time in a store that sells hobby only packs of everything, and coincidentally is about 50 yards from Target and retail. I am not going to say how many days (all) that I have left the mall with one or the other, or both.

Right now the store I work in is selling UD Timeline packs for $4.29 up from $3.99 a week ago, and is also selling UD Masterpiece Baseball for $6.99... Masterpieces for $6.99! I did make an attempt to purchase 2 packs from fresh boxes and see what happens. I ended up with 2 YSL cards, and crap. We have like 7 of every card from this set, and I have two blasters which makes me an idiot for buying two hobby packs for that price. In Target you can get UD Timeline for $1.99 a pack (way more fun), and they haven't had the Masterpieces in a while. We also just got in the Ballpark Collection at $49.99 per pack (3 GU and 1 AU per pack on average). Needless to say, I will not be purchasing any of those.

My other issue with this debate is the problem with the pricing of retail blasters. They are marked from the card companies at $19.99, however Modells and Sports Authority like to charge $24.99 for them. They can go scratch unless I am getting a sale price. The same stores also charge a dollar or two more for rack packs as well.

2008 Stadium Club... we could go on and on about what was Topps thinking releasing yet another product with a price tag not conducive to what most collectors can afford in this economy, or are willing to spend with the economy in a downward progression. Anyway, point is I got a blaster and a ton of base cards and 1st day Issues AND ONE SP AUTO for $19.99. One pack of hobby is $24.99 vs. one pack of retail for $2.99 if you are just trying to get your favorite players or set build. Topps can get bent for that pack.

I buy both hobby and retail, and often in one trip. It depends on my mood and what I feel like opening at the time. I honestly feel like if you are just trying to build sets or pull players, there is just as good of a chance at that in the cheaper retail versions of the packs. However, if you collect Albert Pujols or Derek Jeter you more or less have no chance at getting them in either pack. (I still do not have all the UD Timeline, or the Stadium Club cards)

We will be going out on Sunday together, which means we will end up on some wild goose chase for baseball cards and have something interesting to report, I hope. Until then, you may have to cross your fingers that I open one of my bargain blasters from K-Mart (that is the 2 for 1 08 Masterpieces). I am working all day tomorrow so God knows I will have purchased something dumb by this time tomorrow.

I'm done for now.
Stay tuned.

2008 Topps Stadium Club Blaster

OK, this was the blaster that I got on Black Friday at Modell's for $16 bucks. Well worth it as far as I'm concerned.

Here is the big hit of the box:
Dan Haren Beam Team Auto 01/50




These are the First Day Issue cards I pulled, the Longoria one was the best one as far as I'm concerned. I also pulled the other Longoria from a retail pack a few weeks ago so that's cool. I haven't decided what I am going to do with the Longoria cards just yet. I also got a Roberto Clemente card that is at the end of the First Issues.

Bubble Mailer Day

I went to the post office today and guess what I got? That's right, part of my birthday present that my brother was told he was buying me- 2008 Topps Stadium Club Beam Team Robinson Cano Autograph. Not bad for $12 on eBay, and $2 shipping. I was more than pleased with that since if I bought it locally someone would want at least $25-$30 since he's a Yankee.


I like adding cool cards like this to my Cano collection. It's alot cheaper than trying to add something like this to my Pujols collection. One day soon, I am gonna bite the bullet and buy a Pujols auto. It took me 2 years to pull the trigger on a RC of him, so the auto is coming soon.

Black Friday & Blasters

The alarm went off at 2:50am, I hit the snooze button twice then got out of my warm bed to head for the mall. I had only been asleep for about 2 hours so you can call that a nap. I was in the mall parking lot by 3:20am with my first cup of coffee, waiting for my friend to meet me. Some stores were open when we got there (why I have no idea), but we were there for our free annual JC Penney snow globe of which I haven't even opened yet. They opened at 4am, and thus kicked off the Black Friday debacle for us.

Our schedule was done by the hour according to which stores opened at what times. JCP at 4, Modells/Old Navy at 5, Target at 6, Gamestop at 7. Target had a line from one side of the mall halfway to the other outside, and when they opened the doors the line was no more. So I ran. I ran like the wind to the back of the store to get my brother a video game. I made it there in like a minute, literally and asked for the game and it was SOLD OUT. REALLY?! That sucked. But I got all my DVD sales.

OK, enough girly shop talk. Now onto Modells....

Modells had coupons for 33% off any licensed sports apparel for one item and 33% off any licensed novelty item. I found a Stadium Club blaster (!), although $25 I figured I was taking a chance on a Pujols auto and rewarding my valiant early bird efforts. Well, the manager did the same. He gave me the 33% off the blaster, and I only ended up paying like $16. Hooray! I also picked up 2 blister packs of SP Authentic in Modells.

Then to BC Sports... I grabbed 2 packs of Timeline's thanks to my brothers debit card. I run an errand or two for him, and he rewards his older sister with cardboard. Awesome.

12 noon: Target #2 -- Another blaster of Stadium Club was found, as well as many blasters of Timeline, which by the way are only $14.99 if you can find them in Target. Well, long story short, the Stadium Club box didn't scan, and I ended up with that one for $14.99. Yay for me, not for mom who gets to pay and put those into my stocking which now will hold nothing else, and thats fine by me.

I spent a good 9 hours shopping on 2 hours of sleep, got a bunch of presents on a small budget and did pretty ok. I didn't spend much (of my own money) on myself, I helped my mom get some things on sale so she didn't have to spend extra money, too. I'm not usually a shopper for things other than baseball cards and coffee, but Black Friday is the best. And when you get sales on baseball cards, it makes getting out of bed at 3am worth it.

Stay tuned for pack breaks... I need to refuel and perhaps wash the nap off my face before playing.

I had some free time

With me, free time can be a dangerous thing. Usually, it means I end up in Atlantic City at a poker table somewhere.

This time I made a little deal with myself. I was allowed to go play poker, but only if I put up the cards that have been sitting on my desk in penny sleeves, waiting to find a home. These baseball cards need to be loved and, frankly, I can't give them the love that they need.

So I finally got some work done and managed to list about 80 or so cards on the Bay.

I put up my 2008 Stadium Club, although, I haven't listed the Gary Sheffield Team Beam autograph numbered to 99, yet. That is probably gonna go up tonight.

A Manny Ramirez 1st Day Issue, numbered to 599 will also make it up tonight. I have the card scanned, it's just a matter of putting the auctions up.

I also managed to get up the 2008 Timeline base cards. I haven't put up the variations yet, but Marie has hers up. There are a nice assortment of cards up there. However, also missing is my Brandon Boggs auto #'d to 99.

And, I listed some numbered UD Baseball Heroes cards that I have had since the summer. This is what happens when an entire month of your life is consumed by the Philadelphia Phillies.

As a little bonus, I thought I would head over to KMart to see if mine had the same deal Marie's had. No.

But I did end up with three packs of cards (1 SP Authentic, 2 UDX) and got three YSL cards. That should thrill Marie, however, one was a Jeter. Yay for me.