COMC Haul - Tip Off Event!

With the NBA Finals starting tonight, I thought I would share the small stack of basketball cards I added from my most recent COMC splurge. I took full advantage of the recent spring sale (I even sold 5 cards!), and added a ton of cards to my 1959 Topps set build. But I also went off on a few tangents, including a trip down memory lane to a couple of my favorite basketball players.

Allen Iverson is relentless. Tenacious! Gritty! The man's got heart. I understand some people don't like Iverson for whatever reason, but I have to disagree with them. I wouldn't call myself a Sixers fan, but I definitely was a big fan of AI.

One reason I couldn't call myself a Sixers fan was this man right here. In many ways, Iverson and Garnett were two sides of the same coin - intense competitors whose play on the court rose the quality of play of everyone around them. Garnett was like a 6'11" Allen Iverson! Even though he had to go to Boston to get it, I was so happy for KG when he won the NBA championship and shouted "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!" Just a great moment.

I'm making it official- I want to build a 1957 Topps Minneapolis Lakers Team Set (I already have the toughest card, HOF rookie Vern Mikklesen), so this card is an appetizer.

For the 50th anniversary of the set, Topps re-created it, right down to the fun card back showing the sample ballplayer in front of a giant ruler.

I don't watch nearly as much NBA basketball as I used to, but with the Wolves playing well again (making the playoffs last year, narrowly missing this year in a tough West), I made a point to catch a few games. I was blown away by reserve guard Josh Okogie - he's probably 8th or 9th on the depth chart, but he had several games last year in which he would take over for several minutes at a time. He would get a steal and go coast to coast, lock down the opponent's top scorer, get a key blocked shot, or knock down a clutch three point shot. He's a fan favorite for sure.

Since he's not Karl Anthony Towns (or even Andrew Wiggins for that matter), this jersey / autograph combo was under $5 bucks. Game 1 of the NBA Finals is starting soon - are you rooting for Toronto or Golden State?

A Transatlantic Triple Break Double Play!

Another Transatlantic Triple Break is in the books. Matt of Bob Walk the Plank dug deep to find something we haven't seen very often, a set from 2009 called Upper Deck Signature Stars.

I mean, these guys are all stars (and All-Stars) - at least one of those guys above will stroll into the Hall of Fame. It's a somewhat limited design with all the empty space. There's a nice mix of young up and coming players and established veterans.  

Inserts are fun! My portion of break included the AL East and the NL West, which meant a healthy does of Yankees, Rays, and Giants.

I was the lucky one on this break, getting all three of the box hits! In addition to "current" 2009 major leaguers, Team USA baseball was also a big part of the set.

Manny Machado as a prospect was a pretty nice card to pull in the box.

Even younger was Robbie Ray, who was still a year away from being drafted when this card was made. He was in the trade that sent Doug Fister from Detroit to the Washington Nats, and then in the 3 team deal that netted the Yankees Didi Gregorius from Arizona. Ray had a breakout performance in 2017, making his first All-Star roster.

Matt always includes an extra trade - this time he really outdid himself. This Justin Morneau / Jason Bay dual auto is numbered to 74 - maybe they lost one of the stickers and couldn't make 75?

Another pair of Twins, Jose Berrios is going to be a big part of the Twins' plans in 2018, and Denard Span was a rising star in a great tradition of Twins Center Fielders when he was traded to the Nats for pitching.

A sweet Kevin Garnett rookie. This card is graded a PSA 8 and is still chilling in his protective case... for now.

Last but anything but least, Matt sent me a SHARP Harmon Killebrew rookie card! I did have a literal jaw drop moment when I saw this. I did have a copy of this card from Twinsfest a couple years ago, but this one is a big big upgrade.


Wait - why is this a "Triple Break Double Play?"

Kevin of The Card Papoy also had a card to send me via Matt -

This is what the kids call a "siiiiick patch." Thanks Kevin, and thanks Matt! Another successful Triple Break!

What Was the Latest Big Deal on COMC?

 The Big Deal were these two Kennys Vargas 5x7 cards, each numbered to 10 - I swear I am going to have every single Vargas card #d to ten except the one I've been looking for since early 2015.

 Compared to the size of the base cards...

 Also had the good fortune of finding a couple more Kennyses I needed, both parallels.

 Some Pucketts

 Michael, Mauer, and Molitor...

 I don't limit myself to just Twins, these were just a handful of the other guys I picked up.

I just finished reading a great article on The Big Ticket, and these cards came that same day - it's worth checking out if you like KG, or stories about guys heading into the twilight of long careers.