TCDB 2 for Tuesday #157

Looks like there will be a first time winner in the World Series this year.  I am glad it will not be a big market team winning, but I am sure the TV ratings will suffer.  I will be rooting for the Rays because it is hard for a Cardinals for to root for a division rival.  As long as it is a good series, I will not really mind either way.  This could be the last baseball we see for awhile.  At least we will have cards to get us through the winter and the strike.  Today's first package came from member allofthis30.

I am getting so close to completing the 2025 Chrome Platinum Anniversary team set.  Only 2 more to go.

This is my first 2025 Update gold parallel and the second to last 2002 Topps 206 card I need.  Anyone have a Bob Gibson laying around?  

I have grown to like the 2026 Elite set.  A simple design with some good looking parallels.  Using photos of catchers to hid the lack of emblems does not hurt either.  Topps even does it from time to time.

The second trade came from member Rk100981.

Why would I show off two 1993 Topps base cards?

Because they are actually the last two I needed to finish the micro set.  

  

2026 Card Show #8 Recap

Saturday I attended a card show that I have been looking forward to for several months for two reasons.  First, it was held in my home town.  It has been at least 20 years since the last show I can remember being held here.  This one was at the junior college with all proceeds from admission and dealer tables going to the basketball teams.  $2 well spent in my book.  The second reason was my favorite vintage dealer was going to be there.  

If you attend the National Card Show or any of the larger regional shows like Nashville or Dallas, you know who Craig is. He seems to have an endless supply of vintage cards in different conditions, most of which are not graded.  I first bought cards from him 3 years ago at a smaller show that he setup at to help a friend get his show established.  He was doing the same Saturday to help a different promotor.  He has his commons sorted by year and number, while the stars and short prints are in another stack arranged the same way.  All cards are priced, which is a lot more than I can say for some dealers.

I had about 90 minutes to spend at the show.  All but 30 was spent at Craig's tables.  If I could not find a card in one spot, he pulled out another album or box with more cards.  Very friendly and knowledgeable dealer.  I cannot give him a high enough customer service rating.  I spent my entire $200 budget with him.  He then gave me 10% off, so only $180 out of my pocket.  Time to show off what I bought.

This 1960 Musial was one of the two cards I was looking for the most.  He did not have a 1964 Bob Uecker.  This one is perfect condition.  No wrinkles, creases, better centering than what the scan shows.  It completes my 1960 team set.

These 1959 commons were all $3 each.  Two of them are the white back variation.  

A couple of 1961 cards including a semi high number Smith.  This one has a couple of minor creases that can only be seen if held just right.  I did not even notice them until Craig pointed them out.  

Both of these 1963 cards are perfect.  The green and yellow background on the team card is a little strange, but still a great card.  If you look closely at the guy on the right end of row two, it looks like he is either a bus driver or pilot.

The final card is this 1967 high number Shannon.  I have seen this card go for over $40 in worse condition than what I paid for it.  

Even though I did not make it to every table, I still consider this the best show so far this year.  If you ever get a chance to buy from Craig, you will not be disappointed.

 

        
 

Numbered EBAY Lot

My EBAY purchases for 2026 have been few are far between.  One reason is something  I mentioned yesterday, the lack of new Ray Lankford cards.  Another is it is getting harder to find good deals on team lots.  So many now are full of junk wax cards that I have duplicates of already.  If  I look hard enough, I will eventually find an auction with a few cards I need, that is reasonably priced, and that no one else is bidding on.  One of those auctions ended last week that I won for about $9 delivered.  This lot contained 22 numbered Cardinals, most of which were from the early 2000s.

2001 Donruss Signature rookies numbered to 800 and a 2004 Absolute Memorabilia rookie numbered to 1000.

I do not remember the Esix Snead era of Cardinals baseball.  That is because he never played a game for them, only 18 games for the Mets.  These 2001 cards are all numbered.  Fleer Showcase to 1500, Leaf Limited to 1500, SP Game Used Edition to 500, and Pros & Prospects to 1250.

Bill Ortega is similar to Snead.  He only played in five games for the Cardinals in 2001, collecting one hit in five at bats.  His 2001 cards are all numbered the same as  Snead, with the Donruss Class of 2001 being the only different one numbered to 1875.

What Cardinal fan does not love a numbered Bob Gibson, even if it is not licensed.  This 2008 Donruss Threads insert is numbered to 500.

The remaining nine cards were either duplicates from the lot, or ones that I already had.  They will be good trade bait for other Cardinal collectors.  I was thrilled to add these to my collection for less than fifty cents each.

  

    

Second New Ray Lankford of 2026

It has been a very slow year for me with regards to adding new Ray Lankford cards to my collection.  To my knowledge he was not included in any sets this year.  That leaves me chasing cards that are mostly numbered to 50 or less and most likely over 20 years old.  Every now and then one pops up that is not numbered, but is a card that is very rarely listed.  One such card was listed on EBAY a couple of weeks ago that I was the only bidder on.  For less than $3 total, I have my second new Lankford card of 2026.

Almost everyone has seen 1998 Topps Gallery Player's Private Issue Action parallels.  These were seeded one per pack.  There are four different point versions:  100, 75, 50, and 25.

For some reason I could never find the 25 point variation.  I do not think it was any more rare than the other three versions.  Just one of those cards you never seem to find.  At least I do not have to worry about it now.

  
    

2026 Card Show #7 Recap

Saturday brought an opportunity to attend a new card show.  This one was about 1.5 hours from home.  It was advertised as 60 tables, which fairly accurate.  There were a few Pokemon tables sprinkled in, but the majority were sports.  That was about the only positive of the show.  Value boxes started at $1 and went up from there.  I found very little value in most of them.  One dealer had 2026 Topps commons for $1 each.  It did not matter if it was Aaron Judge or a Marlins reliever.  Another dealer had $1 boxes of mixed sports cards.  He had a large sign above the boxes that said 10 for $15.  I passed over the table a few times just to see if anyone questioned his math or if he changed his sign.  During my two hours there he never did.  

My pickups from three dealers cost me $29.

Even though these were in a dollar box, the dealer gave them to me for $3 total.  I was excited to find a  Topps Gold Pujols I needed even though one of the corners had a slight ding.  

The second dealer also came off his dollar prices and gave me these for $2.  All trade bait except for the Will Smith rookie that is going to my sister.

My final purchase for $24 was two short print cards from the 1960s.  Both are in good shape.  I never ask for a discount, but assumed the dealer may have come down to $20.  Guess I should have asked, but I was ready to leave.

There were plenty of other ungraded vintage cards there, but most were way over priced.  I did find a 1964 Topps Bob Uecker I needed to complete my Cardinals team set.  It had a couple of soft corners, a pin hole, and was a little off centered.  It looked good though, so I inquired about the price.  For the $80 the dealer wanted, I could buy a low grade copy off EBAY.  It was an easy pass.  I doubt I will be attending this show again.  

  

TCDB Trade with Cards on Cards

Last month I attended an autograph event at Busch Stadium .  Most of the time I try to find cards for players to sign that I have duplicates of, but sometimes I have to pull a card out of my collection.   When I do, I always check Kerry's trade list on TCDB to see if he has a replacement.  Most of the time he does.  He always has other Cardinals I can use, so we make a larger trade to make it worth the postage.  His latest package arrived Saturday after spending 2 weeks in the post office's black hole.  I will spare you the replacement base cards and just show off the new cards to my collection.

1986 Stickers are nice, especially when they are the O-PEE-CHEE variety.  

I just started the 2024 Topps All Star Game set earlier this summer.  I am a little over half way completed.

I now have 472 different Wainwright cards in my collection.  That is good for 8th place on my player list.  I am number #3 on TCDB for Wainwright collectors.  Kerry is number #2, about 140 cards ahead of me.

Two of  my favorite Cardinals.  I love the Whitey Herzog era of Cardinals baseball when speed and defense won a lot of games.  

A couple of colored parallels.  The silver Topps Total looks more gray to me.  Like many other team collectors, I would love for Topps to bring that brand back.

I am slowly collecting the Cardinals relics from the Topps Holiday sets.  I like the designs and most can be had for a few dollars if I need to buy them.  

  

TCDB 2 for Tuesday #156

Since last week's post, we have seen the baseball playoffs move to the second round.  Once the Cubs lost, I really do not care who wins the Series this year.  It would be nice to see a team like the Rays win.  By this time next week, we will have a clearer picture.  On to the cards.   Today's first package came from member charles hamilton.  

Donruss Elite was one of my favorite brands back in the early 2000s.  The Panini version is not quite as sharp for obvious reasons, but I have seen worse.

I will gladly take any  Rainiel Rodriguez card.  This is an orange parallel.  He is the Cardinals #1 prospect , and should be in all national top 20 lists by the time the season starts next year ( I hope it starts anyway.).

The second trade came from member bplay24.

Topps added a Baseball Seams refractor to the Chrome rainbow this year.  I admit it looks better than the Xfractor.

I was almost shocked to see a new image on this 2026 Chrome insert.  Nice to see Topps does not save them all for Stadium Club.

It is rare for me to show off a card that is not a Cardinal or Altuve, but this Trout card looks so great.  The red and blue border really matches well with his uniform.  I doubt I have this card for long, as I have three trade offers for it already.