by Matt | May 8, 2014 | Cards
If you’re wondering why posting has been all over the place, it’s just due to a busy schedule. I’ve got so much on my plate at the moment that I think I need a second small salad plate just for the extras. Maybe a desert plate as well. And a couple dinner rolls. And a coffee. Cream and sugar.
Crap. Now I’m hungry.
The point is there’s just a ton of stuff going on.
A quick survey though: If I said “hey, I’ve got some random cards from the 80’s/90’s, anyone want them?”, how many of you would raise your hands? Cause…umm… that sort of happened…
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by Matt | May 8, 2014 | Cards
A couple days ago I was graced by not one but two PWE’s from my buddy Pat over at the Hot Corner.
PWE #1 had a trio of 2010 Topps. The Captain, Jonny Lester and Jeremy Hermida, who if I’m not mistaken, is playing for the Brewers these days.
PWE #2 kicked it up a notch. Pat sent a long a nifty 2008 Tristar Ryan Kalish refractor (they call them “reflectors”) and a purple parallel Jamie Callahan from Bowman. I didn’t have either one of these.
Last but not least, he finishes off the package with a blue sparkly Ortiz from Opening Day. That’s my kind of parallel.
Awesome cards Pat, thanks!!!
by Matt | Apr 30, 2014 | Cards
Right up front I should mention that not only did I purchase a master team set this year, I also purchased a mini set AND a complete 1-300 set. So, yeah, I cheated quite a bit. The prices were just too good. The master team set (including SPs and inserts) was $6.99, the mini set was $3.99 and the complete base set was just $19. For the same price as a blaster and a rack pack, I’m done. Honestly, I couldn’t pass that up.
That being said, I still couldn’t stay away from the card isle this month. I made 2 random Target trips with the family and bought 3 blasters. $60 worth and I didn’t get 1/3 of the entire set or any of my team. That pretty much puts the nail in the retail coffin as far as I’m concerned. Opening packs IS fun, but not “wasting $60 worth” fun. I’ll still do it every once in a while, but I promised myself I would not go crazy with retail this year and this just re-enforces it.
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by Matt | Apr 29, 2014 | Cards
Early last week I received a return package from my Yankee collector trading buddy AJ, aka The Lost Collector. He sent me a thank-you and a couple cards for a package I had sent him. Work was crazy and I’ve just now gotten around to scanning them.
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by Matt | Apr 17, 2014 | Cards, Personal
Alright Photoshop warriors, it’s tutorial time. A couple pre-requisites for this one. PS CS4 and above required for this one. I believe it was CS4 that added some of the HDR options we’ll be using. I’m using CS6, but 4 and 5 should be more than sufficient. Also, right off the bat, you’re going to need a really large source file. If you’re looking to use a 200k screen grab of your favorite player, you’re going to have a bad time, but more on this in a minute.
Alright, let’s outline what we’re trying to do: We’re trying to recreate the photo effect used on Topps Gypsy Queen baseball cards. I would describe this effect as High Dynamic Range coupled with copious amounts of grain. It’s just surreal enough to have an almost painterly look to it.
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by Matt | Apr 9, 2014 | Cards
My preferred (but notably less “fun”) way of buying baseball cards is in team sets. That’s my primary focus and, I won’t lie, sellers who bust and sell sets make my life so much easier. Having the ability to buy a $5 team set and avoid wasting $20 on a blaster of cards I don’t need is an awesome thing. Plus there are some things I wouldn’t normally be able to buy, like hobby only team sets, because I don’t bust boxes of most things.
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