Ticket Stub eBay Pick-Up

I've picked up a few things on eBay this past week and they are starting to arrive in the mailbox. Here is a ticket stub that I picked up for a total of $4.99. You might be asking yourself, "Why would he pay 5 bucks for a ticket stub from a meaningless game between the Brewers and the Diamondbacks from 2010?" Well, let chek out the description from the eBay auction which states "Neat vintage full ticket in excellent condition. From a game in which Daniel Hudson pitched for the win and home runs were hit by Stephen Drew and Prince Fielder." You might still be asking yourself, "Why would he want this ticket?" The eBay seller mentioned the hom run hit by Stephen Drew, but what he didn't mention was that the three D-Backs batters before Drew also hit home runs. That's right Adam LaRoche, Miguel Montero, Mark Reynolds, and Stephen Drew hit back to back to back to back home runs in that game. My plan is to try to get the ticket signed by those 4 players.

More on the Mantle Autograph

I bought this Mickey Mantle autograph from a card shop back in 1999 or 2000. The card shop had recently purchased a large collection from someone and this was part of it. It came with a Certificate of Authenticity (which I haven't been able to find since we moved back in July) and a picture of the guy with Mickey Mantle at a card show. The card can be seen on the table in front of Mantle. So while it appears that some of these cards were autographed by Mantle and sold by Upper Deck, I don't think that this one was. It appears that it was bought unsigned and that Mantle signed it at a card show.

I recently notice a serial number and stamp on the back of the card. It card be seen on the bottom left hand corner. I can't make out any of the writing in the circle. I'm assuming this is from the company that provided the certificate of authenticity. Is anyone out there familiar with this stamp/company? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mickey Mantle Autograph - Real or Fake?

Take a look at the card above and give me your honest opinion of whether or not you think the autograph is real or fake. The card itself was produced by Upper Deck in 1994 and measures 3.5" x 5". 

I've had this card for over 10 years and have always wondered whether or not it's legit. Not because I don't trust where I got it from, but because of the huge number of Mantle forgeries out there. I'd like to get everyone's opinion and then I'll provide a little more information about where I got it from. Thanks!

Catching Up

I have posted sparingly over the past several months. I haven't had the funds for any new cards recently, but I did add a few baseball related pieces to my collection.

My brother and his family came to visit from Las Vegas back in July. He brought this Bryce Harper autographed Sports Illustrated for me. I've mentioned before that my brother and his family know the Harper family a little bit and they go to the same church. This Sports Illustrated was donated for an auction at the church to raise money for one of the youth groups. I guess he had had it for several months but this was the first time that I had seen him in a while. I was really excited. I know a lot has been said about Bryce and I'm sure there will be plenty more said, but I still was thrilled to get this.

This Ryan Roberts signed 8x10 was given to my in September by a co-worker. Her and her boyfriend had gone to a signing at a local at&t store and got to meet Roberts. This 8x10 was provided by at&t. Since they had 2 of these, they gave one to me. The photo is surprisingly nice for a store giveaway and I actually like the fact that it has the at&t logo on it because it lets you know where it's from.

My family and I went to the D-Backs game on September 24th and I got this Ryan Roberts bobblehead. We got there several hours early and there was already a huge line, so we went inside for a while and let the kids play on the playground and then took off before the game even started. My wife is pregnant and so I knew going into it that we wouldn't be staying, but we had the tickets already and I wanted the bobblehead. It's up on my D-Backs bobblhead shelf and makes number 13.

I got this Mike "Human Rain Delay" Hargrove bobblehead from a local event here in Goodyear, AZ called G.A.I.N. (Getting Arizonans Involved in Neighborhoods). The Indians and Reds always have a booth at the event because it takes place at the Goodyear Ballpark where they have Spring Training. My five year old actually won this for me by playing a beanbag toss game.

Card Shop Pick-Up

I'm back. No excusses for my lack of posts recently, but I'm back. Stopped at the card shop yesterday on the way home from work and purused a big box of $2 relics and autos, finally finding one that I decided to pull the trigger on. It's a 2001 Upper Deck Big League Challenge Jersey Card of Jose Canseco. I'm not a huge fan of Canseco, but I like game/event specific memorabilia, so I decided to get it.

Justin Upton would get my vote for NL MVP

As I write this, Justin Upton, right fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks is batting an even .300 with 30 homeruns and 85 RBI. Upton scored the game winning run for the D-Backs last night as the Diamondbacks increased their lead in the NL West to 9.5 games over the San Fransisco Giants. The Diamondbacks now have their sight set on home field advantage during the first rould of the playoffs. Their win last night, coupled with a Brewers loss, gives them a .5 game lead over the Brew Crew for the second best record in the National League.  

For a team that no one, myself included, thought would even be in contention this season, the Arizona Diamondbacks have certainly surprized the baseball world. Upton has been a star in the league for several years now, but is starting to garner MVP talk, and rightfully so. His team has a commanding lead in their division and he leads the team in nearly every major offensive category including; batting average, homeruns, RBI, runs scored, and stolen bases.

At this point, Justin Upton would get my vote for NL MVP. I realize that I may be a little biased, being a D-Backs fan, so let me know what you think. Who do you think deserves the NL MVP award for the 2011 season?

D-Backs Bobbleheads Shelf

Here's a picture of my D-Backs bobblehead collection.