A Star Quest... Quest

The Upper Deck Star Quest insert is extremely fun to collect. The parallels can piss some people off, but some enjoy collecting and searching for the different variations. While we won’t be blessed with any new Star Quest sets in the foreseeable future (how’re people enjoying the new monopoly? Wish there was another company to go to when one keeps putting out miscut cards and missing hits!), we have sets from 2008 and 2009 to savor. I picked up a box of 2008 Upper Deck First Edition on the cheap because I liked the photography of the set and it’s relatively easiness to complete. Instead of posting yet another boring box break, let’s have fun! The 2008 First Edition Star Quest set has no parallels. Let’s see if we can complete the entire set within one box. Are we all ready?


SQ-8: Ryan Howard
Good start, although I’m not a big fan of Howard. Living in the Philadelphia area, I’m subjected to hearing how Howard is one of the best players in the league at least twice a week. But hey Philly, only 7 more years of backwards Ks to go!

SQ-11: Carlos Lee
We seem to be progressing worse and worse as we move along. This year, Carlos batted .246 with an awful .291 OBP.

SQ-21: Johan Santana
What do Johan Santana and Barry Zito have in common? They’re both lefties! And both have ridiculous contracts neither of them have lived up to. Zito is a joke, period. Santana has put up good numbers when pitching, and that’s a big when. He’s been hit with the injury bug the past two years with the Mets, the biggest being surgery on his shoulder at the end of the 2010 season.

SQ-8: Ryan Howard
A dupe already? Crap. Well, at least we have some breathing room with about 31 more packs to go.

SQ-20: Alex Rodriguez
Another year of 30 homers. I’m not sure how he pulled it out of his butt like that, but hey, I’ll take it.

SQ-19: Jose Reyes
I hate this guy.

SQ-14: David Ortiz
I hate this guy, too.

SQ-26: Jim Thome
Had a little comeback year with the Twins, batting .283 while popping 25 homers and getting on base at a nice .412 clip. With those 25 bombs, he moved up to eighth place all-time on the homerun list.

SQ-28: Brandon Webb
Here’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. Apparently the D-Backs didn’t pick up his option and now he’ll hit the free agent market. There are rumors going around that the Yanks have an interest in signing him to a “low risk-high reward” deal that worked oh-so-well for the Red Sox in 2009.

SQ-29: David Wright
I respect Wright not for just his baseball skills, but for being the only white infielder on the Mets for about four years, maybe longer. Mets fans should be thanking the baseball gods for firing Omar Minaya.

SQ-19: Jose Reyes

SQ-4: Ken Griffey Jr.
We should do a study to see how many people collect Junior. I think he may be the most collected player in the past two decades.

SQ-26: Jim Thome

SQ-30: Michael Young
I’ve always liked Michael Young and was glad that he made the postseason this year. Although his numbers were subpar (only 5 hits with no homers or RBIs), it’s good that he finally got on a big stage.

SQ-13: Magglio Ordonez
Ordonez has been another player hit with the injury bug the past few years. He re-signed with the Tigers for one year at 10 million buckaroos.

SQ-24: Mark Teixeira
This doesn’t look right… something about it… what the hell is that A on his cap?

SQ-6: Travis Hafner
I’ve already insulted Travis Hafner once on this blog, so the poor man gets a pass.

SQ-3: Prince Fielder
Narrowly missed playing in 162 games for two seasons in a row. His numbers were down across the board in 2010, coming nowhere close to his 2009 production in homers, RBIs, SLG, or OPS.

SQ-3: Prince Fielder
No one should be subjected to seeing Prince Fielder twice in a row.

SQ-29: David Wright

SQ-1: Ichiro Suzuki
Another great season from Ichiro. We’re probably looking at the first Asian player to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Oh wait, I forgot the immortal Kei Igawa.

SQ-7: Matt Holliday
Holliday produced another solid season this year, posting his usually numbers in all the major offensive categories.

SQ-9: Derek Jeter
I’ve already ranted about Jeter being a little jerk in the whole contract issue. Let’s just marvel at the cover boy’s grace and poise on this card.

Okay, I’ve had enough, let’s move on.

SQ-20: Alex Rodriguez
You can never OD on A-Rod.

SQ-23: Alfonso Soriano
Although I’m not a big fan of Soriano, I do like the photo they used on here. He had a very mediocre season with none of his numbers really standing out. However, his stolen base total does. Remember when he was stealing 40 bases a year with the Yankees? Yeah, he only stole 5 this year.

SQ-25: Frank Thomas
Boss. ’Nuff said.

SQ-6: Travis Hafner

SQ-12: Justin Morneau
Was hotter than Wendy Peffercorn before he went down with a concussion that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He and Mauer bring their A-game every year it seems like and Twins fans should be very lucky to watch these two play every day.

SQ-22: Grady Sizemore
Are there any Sizemore super collectors out there? I know he has a massive following with the ladies and he’s essentially the face of the franchise, but I don’t think I’ve seen any major Grady Sizemore collections. Maybe because he’s been one of the most injured players in the league? He only played in 33 games this year due to microfracture surgery on his left knee.

SQ-16: Albert Pujols
All hail the king! Now, would he move to outfield when he plays for the Yanks in 2011, or will Teixeira have to give up his position?

SQ-3: Prince Fielder

SQ-11: Carlos Lee

SQ-16: Albert Pujols
It doesn’t hurt to see Al again.

SQ-10: Chipper Jones
So Chipper is coming back, right? He didn't exactly set the world on fire before he got hurt last year, matching his woeful '09 stats with a .265 BA and a .426 SLG. He did maintain a nice .381 on base percentage and walked more times than he struck out for the 11th season in 17 years.

SQ-14: David Ortiz

SQ-27: Chase Utley
While the Phils have one of the most dominate rotations in baseball in the past decade, their offense still needs another bat. If they do fail to sign someone to replace Werth, then Utley needs to have a hell of a season to make up for it.


Well, we came up three cards short in completing the entire set of Star Quest. I’m missing #2 (Ryan Braun), #5 (Vladimir Guerrero), and #17 (Hanley Ramirez). If anyone out there has these cards in mint condition, I’ll happily take them off your hands. We need to finish this insert and put 2008 Upper Deck First Edition to bed.

Wait, what?

There’s ANOTHER SET!?

Yes, apparently there is 2008 Upper Deck First Edition Update; a set of cards that are made up of subjects from Series 2 of UD’S flagship brand from the same year. Marvelous. This is where the rest of the Star Quest checklist (and Update checklist) can be found, so we aren’t even close to finishing this bad boy out. Good thing Update boxes are as cheap as their older sibling.

Give It Up for Our Special Guest

Hello faithful, just wanted to inform you about some things going with For Card’s Sake. I’ll be splitting posts with the blog and with My Past Time… I Love It!, the wonderful blog run by the man, the myth, the legend, Wicked Ortega. I’ve taken up the spot of guest writer over there while Wicked takes a break from the blogosphere. I won’t abandon this place completely, I’ll post any pickups or trades on here and maybe copy over a few posts from My Past Time as well. Thanks for cooperating ya’ll!

Now I leave you with this hilarious picture. Enjoy.

A-Rod's Revenge

People think A-Rod is a colossal tool and I really have no idea why. Well… okay, maybe I can understand a little bit why people hate his guts. Regardless of what he does off the field; it’s hard to dispute his consistency and ability on the field. Year in and year out, he’ll bring in runs by the droves and will guarantee you at least 20 homers, production a lot of teams would be lucky to get out of their third baseman. I believe he is a first ballot Hall of Famer even despite the steroid issue (which shouldn’t have even happened if the MLB and Selena Roberts weren’t retards, but that’s another story for another day). However, despite all the A-Rod haters out there, I love the big lug to death, so I pick up his cards whenever I can. That’s where Joe from the Sandlot comes in. He emailed me complaining about all these Alex Rodriguez cards that were taking up space in his trashcan, so I did the noble thing and took them off his hands. Let’s take a look at the highlights of the big package.


2000 Upper Deck Hitter’s Club On Target OT3
At first glance, I thought this was Own the Game, Topp’s famed insert. It’s nice to see UD putting some shine into their inserts too. More shiny inserts for Nick! Hoorah!

1996 Pacific Estrellas Latinas EL26
Oh… muy bueno.

1997 Donruss Preferred Staremaster #1 (Numbered to 1500)
This is the creepiest card I’ve ever seen. A-Rod laser beam activate!

1996 Zenith #99/Donruss Preferred #171
Some cards just look fantastic, plain and simple.

1997 UD3 #50UD3… what the hell is this? Apparently Upper Deck released an exclusive retail set called UD3. The set consisted of 60 cards, which were broken up into three 20-card subsets: Homerun Heroes, Pro-Motion, and Future Impact. Future Impact features Cel Chrome technology. Neat huh?!

And to top it all off, a pile of Road to 500 cards.


Some very nice additions to the A-Rod PC. Thanks Joe! Now where did my cone bra go?

2010 Topps Chrome Goodness (And Yes, It's Possible)

Topps Chrome was one of the most disappointing products of the year… and for good reason. Facing quality issues such as centering, smeared autographs, and missing cards, Chrome saw prices and popularity fall faster than Dakota Fanning’s career. There could be a lot more said about the crapiness of Topps Chrome and its step-sister Bowman Chrome, but I really do feel bad for these guys. 2010 was just an awful year for Topps.

But does this scare me away? If Angela Jolie’s latest film doesn’t, then this certainly won’t (okay I lied, Angela Jolie’s latest film did scare me, but for all the wrong reasons). I picked up a couple of cards from the set and I’m digging them thus far.

I pulled a Spastikmooss and made a purchase through the Blowout Cards forums. I got a good deal on two Chrome wrapper redemption refractors cards from a very friendly seller. These cards are nothing short of beautiful.


#184: Ike Davis
Sorry Mets fans, I’m keeping this bad boy.

#226: Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle in a Topps product. I can honestly say I didn’t see that one coming.

And I scooped up this A-Rod 206 insert off the bay.

2010 Topps Chrome 206 Chrome #TC20: Alex Rodriguez (Numbered to 999)
This card has a serious, serious, serious, serious bow to it. I don’t think it will flatten out until June… 2014.


The wrapper redemption checklist doesn’t look too bad; perhaps this shall be a fun little eBay pursuit down the road. But we shall see. Farewell.

Unintentionally Hilarious Cards #2

They're Here!

Well the package from Dave and Adam’s arrived today to complete the Black Friday boxes. I got the three 2007/08 UD NHL Rookie Class boxes and the 48-Pack box of 2009/2010 Panini Basketball in perfect condition and I can’t wait to bust open a new sport. But check out the Panini box.


This box could easily fit a handgun inside. And it's filled with packs. Hot dog.

Would You Like Your Trade Package Supersized?

A package the size of an elephant arrived in my mailbox today, and I knew it had to be from Dan over at It’s Like Having My Own Card Shop. I sent him over a nice printing plate of Stephen Drew I pulled from 2009 Finest and in exchange he shipped me some nice Yanks and a huge card for my PC. Literally.


First some base.

2009 O-Pee-Chee #112: Robinson Cano (dont’cha know?)
The real MVP of the American League. I’m sorry, but Josh Hamilton is getting old fast. His story is truly magnificent, don’t get me wrong, but he is one of the most injury-prone, inconsistent players in the league. When Hamilton went down for most of September, the Rangers had no problem winning without him. If you take Cano out of the Yanks’ lineup for a period of time like that, there’s no way the Bombers are making the playoffs. Cano had stellar numbers both offensively and especially defensively (3 errors all year at a much harder position), but if you truly want to call it a “Most Valuable Player” award, then give it to the most valuable player.

2010 Topps Update #310: Derek Jeter
First Update card from this year and it’s of the overpaid Captain. Yes, I understand Derek Jeter is the face of the Yankees and has done wonders for the organization since he’s been brought up, but did he really need to squeeze a few extra million out of the club? He would make the money he lost back in a second through endorsements, and if you were really loyal to the Yankees, why would you try to shmoozle them out of cash they could spend on another player to further help the club? Selfish, selfish, Mr. Jeter.

2003 Upper Deck Finite #31: Aaron Boone (Numbered to 1999)
2003 was a good year for Boone.

2008 Topps Moments and Milestones #1-40: Alex Rodriguez (Numbered to 150)
Everyone’s favorite set.

And finally, the piece da la resistance of the trade…

2002 Flair Sweet Swatch #15: Alex Rodriguez (Numbered to 550)Dayummmn! This thing is huge… and look at that jersey piece! What a great addition to the A-Rod collection, and it’s a beaut.


A “jumbo” thanks (I slay myself) to Dan for the awesome trade! Deuces up brah!








Sorry, I won’t say deuces anymore.

A Perfect Grade

I’m anal. Especially when it comes to baseball cards. I like to have all my cards in perfect condition; sharp, crisp edges, smooth surface, and flawless centering. Now, very rarely is a card perfect, and a faultless card to one man may look blemished to another. But no one can dispute the card’s condition when it’s slabbed and marked with a little 10 in the top right corner. I only have two graded cards in my entire collection (they’re a pain to store), and they are both graded 10. One’s a 2008 Topps Grade Sizemore base card I got from a grab bag for Christmas, and one’s this.


1991 Upper Deck #3: Dikembe MutomboSo simple… yet so elegant.

I’ve had fond memories of Dikembe from my childhood. I watched him help Allen Iverson and the 2000-01 76ers go all the way to the Finals, a magical moment for a young basketball fan. While his stay wasn’t long with the club, he was one of my favorite basketball players of all-time and I tried to emulate him in everyway possible, both on and off the court.

Dikembe was known as a defensive playmaker during his career, posting over 12,000 rebounds and 3,000 blocks (his 3,289 are second all-time in NBA history behind Hakeem Olajuwon) in his 18 years of service. He was selected to eight All-Star games, three All-Defensive first teams, and was chosen NBA Defensive Player of the Year a record-tying four times (once in 2001 with the Sixers). Unfortunately, the big Congolese was forced to retire due to a knee injury he suffered during the 2009 playoffs with the Houston Rockets. Mutumbo is also very well known for his humanitarian work, most specifically his active community service for his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While I don’t collect basketball (at least not yet), I had to snag this card when I saw it on eBay for relatively cheap. Now a childhood hero is secured, slabbed, and graded with a perfect 10.

I can sleep.

December's Greeting

First bundle of boxes came in the mail today from Baseball Card Exchange. Nothin’ says “hey baby” like Chrome!

To keep my sanity (and my folks), I’m not gonna bust any of these bad boys until I get the pages and binders to store them in. Until then, I’ll just keep looking and sniffing. The order(s) from Dave and Adam’s should arrive any day now as well. Looking forward to it!

And once again, the Sixers blow a huge lead and lose. It’s almost comical at this point.

Down Goes Die-Cut! Down Goes Die-Cut!

Die-cuts aren’t exactly my cup of tea. They’re hard to handle, they look bad in binders, and they are more prone to damage. But you know what is my cup of tea? Donruss Elite. I love this set. I don’t care if they show up as an unlicensed prospect set or a full-blown MLB licensed set, these cards rule. I love the shine, the design, the feel… everything. Although I’ve never busted a box of Elite (they are fairly expensive), I have gotten numerous singles from around and about and I enjoy owning each and every one of them.

So when I saw this baby on eBay, it pitted one of my favorite type of cards against one of my least favorite type of cards. Needless to say, Elite knocked out die-cuts in the first round.


2004 Donruss Elite Aspirations #70: Roy Halladay (Numbered to 68)
Sweet card, sweet deal. ’Nuff said.

eBay vIntage pIckup

Here’s a little (literally) pickup off the bay from a few weeks ago. I got it fairly cheap from a good vintage seller.


1939 Play Ball #63: Emmett Mueller (RC) Emmett, or Heinie (yes I laughed too, but it was actually a common nickname for baseball players in the early 20th century) was an infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1938-1941. While his numbers weren’t too impressive, he is part of baseball history for being the first player to hit a leadoff homerun in his first career at-bat.

For the card itself, it is now the oldest card in my collection and in pretty good shape (it could easily grade a 6). I’m not a big fan of the pre-Topps vintage, but if I come across cards like this for fairly cheap, I’ll snag them up. Especially if the player's name is Heinie.

Blog Update and Season Splurge

Hello all… long time, no see. You may be wondering I’ve been of late, and perhaps you may be thinking “Gee, did Nick lose interest in the hobby?” In ways, yes I have. As I sit here typing this, I’m keep looking at the multiple piles of cards stacked on my bedroom desk and all the count boxes and binders cluttered on the floor. I put way too much money into this hobby, and it’s time that I start controlling the way I spend before things really spiral out of control. Now to completely run away from the hobby and drop everything is kind of stupid. I will definitely be cutting back on a lot of things. Buying singles and boxes off eBay, Blowout, wherever… gone. I’ll be going through my entire collection of cards and sorting them out; what sets do I want, what other players and teams do I mind having, what should be thrown away or shipped away, and all that fun stuff. So if you receive a package from me with a huge stack of your favorite player or team, you’ll know why. So, what will remain the same? While I will be cutting out purchases of miscellaneous singles and boxes, I will still put cash towards sets I’m collecting and to my A-Rod and Roy Halladay PCs. Trading with fellow bloggers for these needs and Yankee cards will continue as well because, let’s face it, trading is friggin’ awesome.

With that being said, I have a huge weakness for discounts. And today is the Holy Grail for discounts. You do the math. No way my Paypal account wasn’t gonna get hit by this one. Yeah, this sounds extremely hypocritical after I pronounced I would stop buying boxes, but I vowed to only spend money on boxes of sets I’m building and finishing so I can get them organized and in binders. I think I did quite well for myself.

After hearing so much about the Blowout fiasco (see post #139 and further), I avoided them and went to the Baseball Card Exchange. This Illinois-based store specializes in a lot of vintage and old boxes/cards. They also specialize in a lot of fun crap and boxes that are 5-10 years old… right up my alley. I picked these up for a good price.


2 boxes of 2000 Bowman Chrome
1 box of 2000 Bowman Chrome Draft
1 box of 2007 Topps Chrome
1 box of 2005 Topps Update


I had a tough experience with my last Bowman Chrome box (a future box break post) and I wanted to rip open a few more so I can knock out the set. I really like 2000 BC… I know it doesn’t have the biggest rookie class, especially compared to 99’s and 01’s class, but the design is neat and I absolutely love the inserts. But more on this when I post my box that I busted a month ago (thank goodness football is over). In keeping with Chromey goodness, I snagged a box of 2000 Bowman Chrome Draft for a cheap 12 bucks. The set includes names such as Mark Buehrle and Adrian Gonzalez. Uber cool.

I busted 2007 Topps Chrome a while back on the blog and I enjoyed the experience. It should be another fun break, but I’m most excited for my red refractor box topper. These cards are sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet. I grabbed a box of 2005 Topps Update in hopes of scoring some Jered Weaver RCs for grading. Although, I wouldn’t complain if I pulled a rookie card of this guy.

I went over to Dave and Adams Card World and they had some good deals as well. I snagged these.


3 boxes of 2007/08 Upper Deck NHL Rookie Class Hockey Hobby Set
1 box of 2009/10 Panini Basketball 48-Pack Box


I’ve featured literally nothing but baseball cards on the blog, but it’s time to expand into farther horizons. These were some great deals anyway you slice it up. I’m a growing hockey fan and it’s nice to start up a collection. What better way to start than with the 2007/08 UD NHL Rookie Class. Never heard of it? Me neither, but it was only 95 cents a box. And, yeah, I’m buying some of those. Each box comes with the same 50 rookie cards, including names that beat my Flyers in the Stanley Cup like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. What attracted to me to these things (besides the dirt cheap price) was the oversized Commemorative Card that comes with each box. But now that I think about it, I should have stacked up more of these things, but oh well. It’s just paying 95 cents for an oversized Commemorative Card.

I’ve fallen in love with basketball again after I stopped caring for it about four years ago. I used to be a die-hard Philadelphia 76ers fan back in the Allen Iverson days and remember their dream run all the way to the 2001 NBA Finals where they were crushed by the Lakers. When the core players from that squad started leaving (including my boy Dikembe Mutumbo), I started losing interest in the Sixers and in basketball. However, I started getting back into it thanks to my obsession with NBA 2K11, one of the best games I’ve ever played. Although it’s not exactly the most ideal time to be a Sixers fan, it still feels great to be back and supporting the team. I’ve always liked Panini’s effort in basketball, so I was quite tempted to try some of their flagship brand from last year. And think about it… 48 packs is a lot of friggin’ cards. I got the box for about 15 bucks, so that averages out to 31 cents for a pack. Yes, that’s right. 31 CENTS FOR A PACK OF TWELVE CARDS. No way was I passing that up. Even despite the price, 2009/10 Panini has some nice photography and inserts, and they offer a chance to pull a Blake Griffin rookie. I’ll definitely scoop up that opportunity.

Whew, that was winded. Expect a big series of all these boxes getting busted sometime in the near future. But first I’d like to catch up on other boxes and singles that have been lying around and yet to be shown to the blogosphere. I have been neglected the blog for a while now and I want to start posting regularly again. I learned how to prioritize, organize, and limit myself in this great hobby… hopefully these traits keep a steady flux of cards coming in and a steady bank account.

Now, if I’m not devoting all my cash to baseball cards, what will I do with it? Save it? Psht, yeah, okay. My love for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the Disney Company has been renewed with a burning passion since the summer and I want to expand my many Disney-related collections which I can display quite nicely (compared to cards where they just sit unnoticed in binders). Disney pins, attraction posters, cards (yes, Disney cards, a bit hypocritical), movies, books, memorabilia… you name it, I want it. For anyone who wishes to follow the Disney chase, you can check out my other blog, Bury My Heart in Walt Disney World, where I’ll be posting for the time being. I want to get more DVDs to add to my collection, and I also want to get more CDs and music to feed my growing interest in different genres and sounds. Perhaps I’ll invest some bucks into memorabilia as well, from everybody from actors to athletes. I’ve always wanted a Mariano Rivera autographed ball.

Whew, that was winded. Expect a big series of all these boxes getting busted sometime in the near future. But first I’d like to catch up on other boxes and singles that have been lying around and yet to be shown to the blogosphere. I have been neglected the blog for a while now and I want to start posting regularly again. I learned how to prioritize, organize, and limit myself in this great hobby… hopefully these traits keep a steady flux of cards coming in and a steady bank account. Thanks to everyone that has stuck with For Card’s Sake and kept our great writers (myself) rolling. We do it for you folks!

Thorzul's Offering Part Vier

Since we all now I’m a sucker for group breaks, I participated in yet another of Thorzul’s breaks… a box of 2004 SP Legendary Cuts and 2004 Topps Clubhouse Collection. I picked up the Royals and struck gold once again for the boys in the powder blue.

2004 SP Legendary Cuts Legendary Swatches #GB: George Brett
The scanner decided to you know, randomly change colors on me. The sepia/green color you see is actually gold. After looking at more of these cards, it seems that this is the way the color scheme comes out on these cards if they’re scanned in. Either way, it’s beautiful in person.


I’ve found a dirty little secret in picking up the Royals in my group breaks. In all but one of the group breaks I’ve participated in when picking KC, I’ve received a relic card. And these aren’t slouch players either (save the Alex Gordon bat relic I received in the 206 break)… along with this Brett, I got a sick Bo Jackson relic from 2009 SP Legendary cuts. I can’t say I’ve been more than impressed with my string of luck with the Royals.

Thanks Thorzul for hosting another break, and looking forward to many more in the future!

A Man They Call Beardy...

… listed this sharp Alfonso Soriano relic as trade bait that I gobbled up immediately.

2003 Topps Pristine Bomb Squad Relics #AS: Alfonso Soriano Uni A
Shmexy right? I wonder if by “Bomb Squad” they meant his bat or his contract? Baa-zing!


Beardy’s a good man, you should check out his (in)famous blog.