Redemption Song

Hey, remember back in November when I posted about the blaster of Topps Chrome Update (aka Topps Baseball Holiday Target Mega Box) I purchased at Target? Here's a reminder of what I found in that blaster:

Well, I went online that day and requested the redemption right away- the card is finally here!

Bask in the gold glory! Not the most legible sig, but I expect that Benintendi is accustomed to trying to fit all the letters of his name onto a small sticker. 

Here's the card back, numbered to just 50. I don't collect Red Sox, but the thrill of getting a big hit is enough for me to want to hang onto this card for at least a little while longer. I have been nearly flat broke for the last few months and my card budget has gone to other things at home, so it was great to add a card this month with money I spent a long time ago. I think ultimately I will be including this card in a blog contest/giveaway, maybe to celebrate a milestone post or something else completely arbitrary.

Kennys Vargas - 10, 5, and 1

eBay has been kind to me this month - I was able to find this Kennys Vargas acetate card for about the cost of a blaster

I'm still looking for the 2015 version of this card,  I might finish the 2016 rainbow first!

Moving right along, I found this gem, numbered to just 5.

Kennys was a September call up this year, but he's going to be stuck behind a couple guys on the depth chart next spring.

And finally, there's this madness. A printing plate!

This was back when Kennys was just "Kenny" and making his way to the bigs. I doubt I will ever collect all of his cards, but these three were some of the hardest to come by.

The Kennys Vargas Trio

 I had a bit of time on my hands last week, so I hopped on eBay and repeated a search I've done many times in the last several months - I was looking for that Kennys Vargas 2015 Topps Clear /10.

 Well, I didn't find it (surprise, surprise) - but there were a few new to me, and also numbered to 10.

A very strange die-cut from Panini- if you could read the whole word at the top, it would be "status." His current status is "languishing at AAA." Meanwhile Byung-Ho Park is not doing any better than Kennys was last year...

This was my favorite of the three - thanks in no small part to that "sick patch." Getting it now instead of this time last year means it was really affordable. All three combined came to under $30 including shipping from three different sellers.

Now, if I can just find that one Topps Clear....

Guess Who's Back?!?

In my opinion, he never should have been sent down in the first place, but I took full advantage of the lower prices on my favorite Minnesota Twin while he was in the minors.

I got a fever, and the only cure is more Vargas!

I still haven't found a copy of the 2015 Topps Series 1 Clear parallel, but I did find a deal on this one:

I started just doing eBay searches for cards numbered to 10, and wouldn't you know it I was able to find another Kennys Vargas...

Hey, how about that! I don't even mind the clear tape on the toploader! I'm still looking for that Series One Vargas /10, but these are nice consolation prizes. Best of all, Kennys is back from AAA exile as the Twins' DH - hopefully he can re-start the punchless offense.

Oh, yeah, and that Buxton kid is starting in CF for the Twins today, too.