This week in my mailbox Episode 7!

After a couple of posts with a disorienting title, let's go back to the more comfortable and from several weeks unused title...

Well, once again the title should have sounded like "about two months ago in my mailbox" or something like that, but since this is my third post for this evening, I'm trying to recover all the time spent without posting, but not without buying cards as you're about to discover...

I think I'm gonna start with something recently issued, and manufactured by an italian company, it's a 2014 Panini Immaculate patch of Travis d'Arnaud..numbered to 99!
I really like this product, and I hope to be able to get my hands on a box of Immaculate sooner o later (but probably later)...

Now  a card that is pretty old if compared to the previous one, it's from 2005 Donruss (before it became a Panini owned brand) Prime Patches, and features pieces of Batting Glove, Shoe, Bat and Fielding Glove used by Richie Sexson, this rich(ie) card is numbered to an unusual 61!

Let's go back to the future, to 2008, when Bowman released this Chrome Auto Card of Austin Romine!

And once again we travel back to 2002, to see a (in my opinion) great Donruss Studio Private Signings of Carloz Zambrano! This card is numbered to 250 but it's nonetheless very nice

Five years closer to the present to discover this beautiful patch card of Albert Pujols, numbered to 75 and from a set that I really like and some day may even try to complete, I'm talking about 2007 UD Premier, and here's the card!

All this time travelling made me very hungry...hungry for 2013 Tribute WBC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, also in this post will be featured cards from this (in my opinion) underrated set..well that means more cards for me at least!

First is a 3 color patch card numbered to 131 of Yovani Gallardo

Nice isn't it?

And wait, there's more...A wonderful World Baseball Classic Heroes auto of Akinori Iwamura

The card is numbered to 200, so maybe you could find one for as low as I paid it (I think it was about 5 $)...

And the last card it's probably rarer than those already displayed, but not necessarily more good looking, but I must admit that Wandy Rodriguez looks gorgeous in pink!

And this last card is numbered to 5!

That's all for now, see you soon!

Best regards from the italian completist and keep collecting!

The White Plains Card Show

For the 5th consecutive year, last August I paid my annual visit to the great White Plains card show, and here's the report!

First a picture taken outside the location, it's the home of the White Plains Knicks (NY Knicks affiliated I think), and  it also hosts several shows (card related and not) every year.

My visit started early in the morning, and lasted until the closing time...and as usual I immediately lost every inch of reason and started going through every bin ,box, bag, display (more than once I must admit) in this big and wonderful card show!

As I mentioned in my previous post (I just posted it), in this trip to the USA I beat every former record I've ever set, both for quantity (and relatively less) for the quality of my pick ups..

Before I finish my count and check of all the cards I brought home from the holiday (I just say that I went waaaaaaay over 5.000 cards...), I'll show you some of the best picks, being in most cases game used and a couple autos..the cards were very cheap, and believe me, I'm using the term without any negative meaning, au contraire! I'm very happy whenever I can find nice looking cards for a reasonable price, and those you're about to see costed about 2/3 dollars each..so let's start the show!

Some cards from the  2007 Ultimate Star Materials, presenting you Pujols, Lackey, Johnson, Atkins and Peavy! (Not necessarily in this order!)

I also decided to pay tribute to the Yankees with some cards from the team's present and past, and I know that a couple of them are not very loved by the fans (and I understand why), but their cards deserve to be in my collection as well!

First is the most unusual piece of memorabilia I've ever met, a piece of a Bench! And I'm not speaking of Johnny Bench (a piece of whom would even be more weird!), but an All Star Game Bench, in some way related to Reggie Jackson! It's from 2001 Donruss Classics Benchmarks,and it's unfortunately not numbered. Followed by a piece of (green?) jersey of Jim "Catfish" Hunter, from 2004 SP Legendary cuts!

Then a couple of cards from Alex Rodriguez, one features a piece of bat, from 2001 UD Legendary Lumber, and the other is from 2001 SPX winning materials, featuring a piece of bat and a piece of jersey from the (at the time not scandalous) player when he was just a Mariners rising star...

I will try to balance to booing for A-Rod and for the next player by showing a nostalgic Yankee ink..

Here's Roger Clemens game used jersey from 2001 Leaf Certified Materials (numbered to 100) and 2004 Yankees Classics Scripts of Mickey Rivers

Now a card that shows a Yankees player together with a Mets player and a Mariners player, it's from 2005 Upper Deck Trilogy, and features pieces from the bats of Graig Nettles, Adrian Beltre and David Wright

As you can't see, the card is nubered to 85...

The remaining cards that came home with me from the other side of the ocean are the following...

2010 Letter Auto of Tyler Colvin from Finest, it's the refractor version and it's numbered to 75!

2007 SP Legendary Cuts piece of bat of Alan Trammell

2003 Topps All time fan favorites game used bat of George Foster

2008 UD A piece of History game used jersey of Victor Martinez, numbered to just 25

And a 2001 SPX Winning Materials (with a shameful piece of  jersey and a hateful piece of bat) of Barry Bonds...

That's all for my 2014 White Plains card show cardboard buying spree!!

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did in reviewing my pick ups...

And for those of you that are wondering why there are no 2013 Tribute WBC in this posts, well...I wasn't able to find a single card from that set! Since a rookie card of Tanaka is part of the set, the boxes prices were through the roof and no singles were sold at the show..

But if you're patient enough (ten minutes more or less), you'll soon find a new post with the latest addition to the set!

Best regards from Italy and keep collecting!

First mailbox goodies from COMC!

Hello everybody!

It's been several months since the last time I posted and luckily many things have changed..
New Job and soon my first apartment with my fiance...

But I haven't quit with my cardboard addiction!!

After reading a post by my euro-friend The Dutch Card Guy about the Mailbox service provided by COMC, I decided to give it a try, and what you're about to see is what I picked up from the bay of E during the month of october...straight from the package received earlier today...

So let's start with my humble tribute to the legendary  captain of the Yankees, Derek Jeter!   This is his iconic Topps rookie card from 1993 set

I kept an eye on this card for long and I was finally able to get it for a reasonable price..

Next up are some cards from a set that I'm (very) slowly putting together..since it showcases great players and the cards usually go for a decent price.. I'm referring to 2007 Ultimate Star Materials set from Upper Deck..here are 3 cards I added to the set

Here are Dontrelle Willis, Austin Kearns (damaged card, dammit) and Francisco Liriano...

Cards from this set are not numbered, but in some cases they display a nice piece of jersey, at least not the regular white piece...maybe I'll show you some more cards from the set in future posts..

Let's go on with the UD mood ok?

Here are some nice auto cards from a manufacturer that through the years released several good products right?

So here you have Nick Swisher auto from 2007 Ultimate Collection America's Pastime, the card is not numbered, but still a great looking card right?

Now an auto from the 2008 Premier Penmanship set, numbered to 50 and signed by John Maine

Two more cards from UD, a 2007 Premier Remnants of Chone Figgins, numbered to 47 and displaying four pieces of jersey, and a 2004 Ultimate Collection with a patch from Mark Prior, numbered to just 18!

Despite the Figgins looks eyeless I guarantee it's scanner's fault, since the card looks beautiful!

Before moving to Topps, a card that I really like, and I like it both for the auto on it as well as for the manufacturer, since it's produced by the italian Panini..it's a 2014 Turn of the Century auto of Josh Donaldson..who knows if Panini will ever market Baseball cards in Italy...

Did I mention Topps? Of course I did!

Here are two nice autographs I bought, one from 2012 Gipsy Queen set and the other from 2012 Golden Debut Auto set..respectively signed by JP Arencibia and Tom Milone!

And since no post from the Italian Completist could be complete without some 2013 Tribute WBC...

here are the latest additions to the set..base auto (not numbered) of Gio Gonzalez

A blue auto (yes you are correct, it is numbered to 50) of Derek Holland, followed by a nice patch of him (numbered to 131, you're right again!)

And last, my favorite card of this mini WBC lot, a patch card numbered to 25, and with an amazing 3 color patch (in my opinion) of Japanese pitcher Kenji Ohtonari!

What do you guys (and gals) think about this first Mail Box lot?

I really enjoyed posting and reviewing it!

I will soon post about last august visit to NYC and especially to the White Plains card show, this time I really went above any expections...

I also bought several boxes from Dacardworld for Christmas, and I participated a couple of box breaks, one of them being a 2014 Triple Threads take will take place Thursday..

Best regards to everybody from Italy

Keep Collecting!