Sportscards and Case Breaking

For all of us that love sportscards, and the anticipation of busting open a box of cards, there is nothing better than digging through pack after pack and digesting the makeup of each individual card.  There is something serene about the hunt for treasures in tiny packs of cardboard in which most of us have spent our hard earned money on.  From the smell of the cardboard to the anticipation of that next great find, busting wax, and sifting through cards is about as good as it gets, call me a homer, I love the hobby whether outsiders consider it dead or not.
While I would consider myself "old school" (ripping my own boxes, and feeling each card go through my hands), we are in the age of "new school".  I am refusing to call old school dead, but with high end products rearing their head more and more each year, it is becoming tougher to afford multiple boxes and see a decent return on those investments.  So what is the "New School" you ask??
"New school" goes hand in hand with technology.  There are more efficient ways than in the past to reach out to fellow collectors.  Several ways of doing this is through Group Breaks,Case Breaks, or Box Breaks. Many of these types of breaks are done online in chat rooms live.  Some more notable websites where these take place are BlogTv, Ustream, and Youtube (although these are not live).  With these options a collector is able to put his/her money up for a portion of a box or case without shelling out the cost of an entire box or case.  Once your money is in at a designated price-determined by the breaker (based on the cost to the breaker + shipping and supplies), your spots are selected at random or through draft style breaks.  Any cards you receive for your designated spot are yours outright. 
Why should I consider this route??
1) Most, but not all, breakers deal with a LCS to get their product--Gotta support the brick and mortar!!
2) You have a chance at great cards at a cheaper price, or if you collect specific teams, it is much easier to snag those PC cards than risking the cost of an entire box or case.
3) The breaks are exciting, and you get the chance to touch base with fellow collectors.
4) You get the chance to see a ton of product busted without ever leaving the comfort of your home! (Now I sound like an infomercial).
5) Its simply a relaxing, laid back, fun time enjoying the hobby of card collecting.
I choose to pick my spots with sportscards, as I have certain products each year that I must get my hands on, so in these cases I will run to the LCS and pick up a box...or two..or six.  If I want to chase my PC players, or teams, or simply want to get in on some box breaking at a fraction of the cost---Online breaks are perfect for me.  A great place to get in on the action is BLOGTV, where many guys are offering a diverse array of boxes and cases.  Below is a list of some of my favorites on "Blog"---Feel free to check them out if you get the chance or the "itch" to get in on breaks.  You will find a great community of collectors, and for the most part, legit guys who truly enjoy the hobby.
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BREAKERS ON BLOGTV:
BBEXPRESS2
TRUTH17
SOCALMISFIT
PHISIG
KDG1229
DANEDEE23
I apologize if I left anyone out, because there are many great breakers who go live, these just happen to be the guys that I have dealt with or have visited their rooms on frequent basis.

As always, Enjoy fellow collectors, and thanks for reading--in the meantime feel free to check out my Ebay or Ecrater links....Thanks!!

http://www.jspartan98.ecrater.com
Ebay: JSPARTAN98

2012 TOPPS TIER 1..'KNOB' TOO SHABBY

 2012 TOPPS TIER 1 IS LIVE!!!


2012 Topps Tier 1 went live Wednesday, and from what I've seen, the response has been huge for one of the first high end products of 2012.  This is definitely a risk/reward product with (3) hit boxes hovering around $100.  For those willing to take the risk in case or box form, or for those taking the safer route in group break form--the rewards can be huge!!!  Bat Knobs, Autos in gold form, sick patches, amazing see thru autos, and a dream current/legend checklist.  I have yet to see a knob pulled, but if you read http://www.cardboardconnection.com, the knobs are live and demanding big money-which they should.  Amongst the cards Ive seen pulled live, there has been an Adam Lind 1/1 auto, a Reggie Jackson multiple bat 1/1, and a Mike Schmidt Auto.

I have yet to see anything HUGE, but the product is very nicely done, and many
boxes I have seen opened have had bonus jerseys.

As I browsed in prep for tonight's post, it crossed my mind to complete the jersey
checklist, which is a nice mix of vets and younger stars, something to dabble in over the next several months.  Many of the jerseys are numbered to 399, with lower numbered parallels, etc. mixed in.  As I scanned the checklist, I first of all noticed the multitude of the jerseys in the checklist, and later cruised the Ebay pages just checking on prices, etc.   The further I dug in, the quicker my wallet crept deeper into my pocket.  Although I do like a challenge, the checklist seems rather daunting with 78 some cards, with many of those (of even the lower end players)
fetching $9-$10 a pop on the bay, my enthusiasm was short lived.  While my wallet...
and my wife, couldn't handle chasing $700-$800 (low end) on a jersey collection, it is
somewhat refreshing to see the plain old jersey cards getting some secondary market love.


 2012 Topps Tier 1----The risk is high, but the rewards are even higher.  While this may not be a box level venture, the chances for MOJO at the case and Group Break option are very viable options.  There is a ton of fun to be had with this product, and if you take a look around the web, the surface has just been scratched.  Good luck guys and gals!!  Let me know what you think!!

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ECRATER RANT:  I have just dipped my toes into the water that is Ecrater, selling low end singles, parallels, and inserts.  This site is refreshing due to the fact that buyers and sellers can avoid all the fees and pick up singles at a reasonable price.  The tough part is a tedious checkout process, and problems with shipping.
       I have no doubts that this site will continue to grow, and in the near future will be a great site for singles, etc.
If you want to check out my store http://www.jspartan98.ecrater.com I have offered up a shipping discount for purchases of 10-15 singles, and purchases of 16-25.
The discount will come in the form of a Paypal refund to offset Ecrater's oversight in combined shipping
options.  Check it out!!!

EBAY: JSPARTAN98
YOUTUBE: JSPARTAN98

Until Next Time....................................Happy Collecting everyone!!!

2012 Topps Series 2 & 2012 Topps 2 NPN

 2012 Topps Series 2---A look at some Inserts

Here is a look, a rather small one at that, of some of the new 2012 Topps Series 2 cards that arrived "Wednesday".  I saw videos up as early as Monday for the product, namely Chris Olds @ Beckett had a retail video up Monday night.  The product "officially" arrived Wednesday for the Hobby version. 
As much as I like Topps each year, I have chosen to scale back on series 2 a bit this time around due to the early June arrival of Allen & Ginter.  This being said, I still wanted a first hand look for myself so I picked up a hanger pack
and a Jumbo pack from retail. 
You will find much of same with the inserts etc., but there are new RC's
to be had, not to mention the very clean SP cards with great photography.  I did not get any SP's from my purchase, but picked up
some nice inserts and parallels.  The Mound Dominance Inserts, and the Career Day Inserts are refreshing new additions to go along with the chase SP's.  Series 2 offers a respectable continuation to Series 1, and as much as I would like to dive deeper into the treasures it offers, I have chosen to save my money for the arrival of Ginter.  As you have seen in previous posts, can you tell I enjoy Ginter just a little???

With that short synapsis out of the way, here is the NPN info from the 2 packs
I purchased--ENJOY!!

NPN 2012 Topps Series 2
P.O. Box 764
Pittston, PA 18640
(1 per household postmarked by Nov. 14, 2012)

NPN 2012 Topps Series 2
P.O. Box 2036
Duryea, PA 18642
(1 per household postmarked by Nov. 14, 2012)