Joe's Die Cut Random Red

2005 Donruss Elite
Asutin Kearns
16 / 28

As someone who worked with stampers I can tell you 3 for every 1 that went out were screwed up in the factory. This is one of the first cards I purchased after Hurricane Katrina and I was thrilled to find it. Kearns. Die Cut. Numbered to 28. SA WEET Like Da Mets Just Got Beat.

I'm Not A Slacker

I've been busy on the school and woman front. Yeah. That's the ticket!

So to make up for lost days I present these to you:

2004 Bowman Chrome
Uncirculated X-Fractors
005 / 172

That's right! All of them are numbered 005 / 172

No. 109 Austin Kearns

As you can see here Austin just jogged in and caught a popper off the bat of Andruw. When he was good.

No. 121 Adam Dunn

Adam showing some skill while wearing the Holllywoods to cut down on the X-Fractors sheen as he leaps to rob Mike Piazza of a homer.

No. 181 Kevin Howard

Kevin taking a HUGE lead off of second on one of his Midwest League leading 26 doubles

No. 208 Luis Bolivar

Luis is obviously in a Little League ball park.

No. 235 Miguel Perez

Miguel is known as a pretty good game caller and a strong arm you do not run on. If he develops a bat he will be in the bigs.

No. 270 Jorge Mejia

Jorge is showing his stare that scares the crap out of pitchers of an Arizona League leading hit.

No. 314 Ben Himes

The swing that won the opening game of the 2003 Pioneer League playoffs with a three person quadrangular trot in 2003.

If anyone knows the where abouts of the Ken Griffey Numbered 005 / 172 let me know. We can work something out.

Dares Gold In Dem Dar Cards!

I received in the mail today a few packs I shall be sharing over the next few days. This card was purchased from Gary Walter Cards from an ad in SCD Weekly. It was 6.95 plus 2 for s/h. That is less than on ebay these days.

2008 Topps
50th Anniversary All-Star Rookie Team Gold
No. AR36 58 / 99

I really like this card. The card is solid. Not like modern cardboard. The front is smooth and kind of like the old Stadium Club Winners Cards. You can actually scratch into the metal front if you had a Mets rookie. Just sayin.
This card remind us of the potential Austin had in the Reds outfield. In 107 games he batted .315 / 66 runs / 13 HR / 56 RBI and was third in 2002 N.L. ROY balloting.

New Writer

As I wrote about the Austin Kearns press plate a few days ago I wondered if there were any other Reds baseball collectors out there. I figured "Hey. This is the greatest professional baseball team out there. Just ask me. There must be someone besides me who collects Reds cards and players."

Well ladies and gentlecollectors - I found him

I introduce to you

Brads55

I clicked on the team collector link on The Bench and found Brads55 and decided to check him out. I was horror struck when I saw he had an Oakland American League baseball team logo as his symbol. Then I read his credentials.

Players collected: Rick Ankiel, Ryan Braun (Brewers), Travis Buck, Eric Byrnes, Sean Casey, Eric Chavez, Bobby Crosby, Andre Dawson, Adam Dunn, Andre Ethier, Prince Fielder, Eric Gagne, Ken Griffey, Jason Isringhausen, Austin Kearns, Austin Kearns, Terrence Long, Russell Martin, Dice K , Fred McGriff, Jonathan Papelbon, Wily Mo Pena, Brandon Phillips, Pokey Reese, Huston Street, Kurt Suzuki, Nick Swisher, Frank Thomas, Troy Tulowitzki, Jered Weaver, David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman

You have to respect a man who will list Austin Kearns twice.

Teams collected: THE CINCINNATI REDS, Oakland A's

He also collects the New Orleans Saints (My second favortite football team being from the area) and the Pittsburgh Penguins - My favorite hockey team.
It's almost like he is my brother from another mother.

I contacted Brads55 about working with me on the blog to make it more Reds fan friendly and he has agreed to share his LOOOOOOOOOTTTTS bigger Reds and card collection with us Reds fans and those who are in denial about being a Reds fan. (New York Metropolitan "fans" come to mind)

A little about our newest Cincy Reds Cards team member:

Mind doing a little interview so I can let people know who you are?

Absolutely! Its a pleasure to be part of this Blog and I'm excited to make some new friends!

Who are you?

I am 28 years old and was born in Los Angeles, CA. I lived there for 12 years and moved right after the Northridge earthquake (1994). My family and I moved to Vancouver, WA (across from Portland, OR) and I graduated high school and started college there. Moved from there in 2000 and went to Reno, NV. After a few years I opted to move to Hawaii for a change! Been here ever since!

When did you first start collecting cards?

I first started collecting cards in 1986. My uncle bought me a box of 1987 Donruss and let me put together a set into a binder (still have it). I've been collecting ever since and haven't looked back!

Is it tougher being a collector in Hawaii as opposed to the mainland?

Most definitely!!! When I moved here 5 years ago there was 2 card shops on this island (the big island of Hawaii). After 3 months the card shop on my side of the island (Kona) had closed. That left me with a 2 hour one-way drive to the only card shop left (in Hilo). As I made a special trip after XMAS a couple months ago to pick up a box and some protectors it turns out that after the long drive that card shop is closed as well (SIGH). So that leaves me with just Wal-Mart for cards. So as you can tell its incredibly tough to collect on this island. If it wasn't for my trading sites I'd have a hard time continuing to collect. The best trading site hands down is thebenchtrading.com . As a matter of fact thats where I met Joe (Bay Rat North West).

Why are you a Reds collector?

It has to be because of Ken Griffey Jr./Sr. I followed them close as Mariners and once the trade was made I was a FAN FOR LIFE!!! A few Reds favorites of mine are :

Ken Griffey Jr., Austin Kearns, Brandon Phillips, Wily Mo Pena, Adam Dunn, Aaron Boone and Bret Boone

What else do you collect outside of the Reds?

As Reds are my National League Team, the A's are my American League Team. I will list the other collection interests below.

How varied is your collection? (Base set / Inserts / GU / Oddballs / Other sports)

My collection hits every realm of the hobby...

The Sports : I Collect Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, Golf, Nascar, and Non-Sports Cards.

The Types : Everything - Base, SPs, #'d, Die-Cuts, RCs, G/U, Autos, Oddballs, Vintage, Unopened Packs/Boxes. You name it, I collect it.

Why do the Cubs stink so much?

Because they don't have Griffey on the team!

Any other info you want add to this that I did not ask you?

I hope to add an appreciation of Reds cards from every aspect of the hobby. Planning to add a DAILY scan of some of my Favorite Reds cards and also host a WEEKLY live yahoo webcam mailday and box breaks. This should be fun! Mahalo and Aloha everybody, Brad

And all 12 readers of Cincy Reds cards say Mahalo and Aloha to you, Brad. We look forward to your first posting that is gonna make all those Braves, Cubs, White Sox, Indians and even the WNBA lovin Mets fans out there envy us.

Hot off the press!

That's right. A genuine press plate.
This is a 2005 Finest Magenta Press Plate
1 / 1 of Austin Kearns
This one is a little different from most press plates in that it has a cardboard wrap over it.
This protects it from scratches and chips. i also like how it adds some color to an otherwise bland looking piece of metal. When I was 12 I worked with my grandfather making plaques and we did this type of plate making. They scratch easily.
I hear a lot of grumbling from fellow collectors about press plates. They are just something else for the companies to make money off of. I would never buy that. They are ugly. It's just a piece of trash they did not throw away.
I don't care. These are fun to track down. They are unique. This is what made the piece of cardboard you just bought. What made the card you enjoy of your favorite player. They are cheap for a 1 / 1 type card.
This one shows Austin slapping a frozen rope to left off of Schilling to drive in Dunn for the win. The smooth swing. The confident release of the bat.

A Late Thank You

Thank you to the people at Topps

Thank you to the people at Donruss

On August 29, 2005 my life changed.

At about 10 AM I watched as white caps formed on the road in front of my mother's home. For those who do not know what white caps are it is a term used to describe the white foam on top of a wave as it crests and breaks. Why is this unusual? I was one mile from the shore and 28 feet above sea level. That is what it was like when Hurricane Katrina came through. In under 10 minutes it went from water on the road to 6 foot in the home. I managed to get the six people there to safety quickly and save some artwork but all else was lost. My mother was lucky.

My home of two weeks that I had wanted to buy for as long as I remember was washed away. Along with 25 years of collecting and a lifetime of mementos. All the Reds cards, photos, autos and stuff I had made a special room for (I was single) were gone. It was tough but you move on. About two weeks later various card companies had sent packages. Topps and Donruss had sent cases of baseball, football and basketball. I have scanned in some of the better pulls from the boxes I was able to crack open in the midst of the uncertainty.

2005 Topps
No. 645 Reds Team Card
The Greatest Professional Baseball Team

2005 Donruss
No.151 Barry Larkin

2005 Donruss
Power Alley Insert
Ken Griffey Jr.
Sereil Numbered 572 / 2500

2005 Topps Bazooka
4 - in -1 Sticker Insert No. 3
Austin Kearns / J.D. Drew - A former Brave for certain blogger / Torii Hunter / Juan Pierre
How often do you have a card with 4 players all on other teams so soon?

2005 Topps Heritage
No. 57 Adam Dunn

2005 Finest
No. 95 Adam Dunn
Green X-Fractor 11 / 50

Home Run Dunn is watching the ball fly off of a Clemens mess up into the bleachers at Minute Maid Park. A fantastic ball park if you ever get the chance. And hot dogs are waaaaay less expensive that Turner Dogs.

2005 Topps Total
No. 53 Cin 5 Paul Wilson
Remember when this guy was on the Mets and was supposed to be the next Maddux? He did a good job with the Reds and was a good coah for the younger guys.

2005 Donruss Diamond Kings
No. 75 Danny Graves
Autograph 93 / 100
The autograph is well placed and the artwork is great! This is my favorite DK set. The card layout, the colors blend well and the portraits are the best of any set. The sticker is recessed in the card and not on the surface. I am beggining to like this way of doing it.

2005 Donruss Studio
No. 80 Bubba Nelson
Private Signings Autograph Silver 72 / 100

This was one of the best gifts someone like us collectors can receive in such circumstances. It was a very bright spot in my life at the time. The great feel of the packs in the hands and to hear the rip of the foil.

Notice the one company not mentioned (Fleer was bankrupt). They wrote a form letter to Matt that had in it "Sorry we cannot help with your project/charity" and "Good luck with your project/charity and remember us in your purcahsing future." I understand they cannot answer to everyone but that is cold. And I have never purchased another UD product new again. I am not saying never buy new Upper Deck, just letting you know why I do not.

Reds and White Sox trade Update

A trade was recently triggered between the Reds (fan) and White Sox (fan).

Reds get Bip Roberts, Ron Gant, Adam Dunn, Brandon Phillips, Eric Davis, Joe Oliver, Kyle Lotzkar and Austin Kearns in exchange for over hyped White Sox players Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee, Paul Konerko and 12 players to be named later.

Steve from White Sox Cards sent me this fine batch of cards. I got the cards in the mail on Saturday and am glad I did. I did not look like this when I opened my mailbox. So without further ado I present to you:

Card 1
2005 Donruss Team Heroes
No. 89 Eric Davis
One of the most gifted players ever in the Reds organization.

Card 2
2007 Topps Turkey Red
No 355 Adam Dunn
Red Border Parallel

Card 3
2006 Bowman Heritage
No. 142 of a Series of 300
Brandon Phillips

Card 4
1995 Sp
Platinum Power insert
PP 3 Ron Gant
Nice looking card. I like die cuts. Shows imagination.

Card 5
1993 Triple Play
No. 88 Bip Roberts

Card 6
1994 Donruss
No. 249 Joe Oliver

Card 7
2007 Prospects Plus
No. 13 Kyle Zotzkar

The other cards are posted at Austin Kearns Cards. So keep a lookout at White Sox Cards as Steve will (I am sure) be overjoyed at being able to post the cards I sent to him. Thanks Steve!

Today I am Upset

I feel like the Mets just won the N.L. Championship Series.

Against the Reds.

In the Seventh Game.

Bottom of the Ninth.

Two outs.

Grand Slam by Pedro Martinez.

Then are swept by Tampa Bay in the World Series.

Going through cards to scan I came across this card:

2004 Leaf Certified Materials
No. 16 Austin Kearns
Mirror Red Autograph Parallel
Numbered 13 / 200

Not a bad card overall. An action photo on front of Austin slapping a double off of Glavine to drive in Griffey Jr. The design of the front is cool. Plenty of bling to shine in kids eyes to get them hooked on collecting. Two cards and I can make earrings for my special lady. As the card says Reds fans had optimism for Austin. Great makings as a hitter and proven fielder. But he is gone.
Here is what makes me (Cue Charlie Brown Do-Do-Doooo Music) sad.



Not sure what I am talking about? Here is a closer look.


The sticker is coming apart. It is flaking and breaking off. Why? This card has seen the light of only six or seven days. It's not as noticeable but it is breaking off just under the autograph. This has me dismayed. I have never cared if the autograph was on a card or sticker. It was an autograph. I have autographs on paper, balls, bats, helmets and jerseys. Who cares what it is on?

Now I do. There is no reason for this sticker to be breaking apart. Now I want to find another card to replace this one. Where? Looking closely at other stickers I have some things came to light. The ends are starting to pull up. Dust is collecting on edges of the clear stickers.

This is not happening on all stickers. There are stickers such as 2004 Skybox LE History of the Draft were the sticker is inside the card and not on the top. There are no problems with these stickers. No peeling. No dirt. No cracking. I would say it was just Leaf stickers but it is not. I found this on SP and other Upper Deck products. But not Topps products. I do not have as many Topps to compare with but those are holding up well.

So take a look at yours. Make sure down the road they are not breaking apart. I know I will be more careful in the future.

What Parallel is This?

Today we have a card from the Parallel King of baseball card companies. In 2005 Donruss produced Leaf Certified Materials. Not satisfied with 5 parallels per base card they upped the ante in this release with a base card and way too many parallels.

Mirror White Base, Auto, Fabric, Bat.
Mirror Red Base, Auto, Fabric, Bat, Fabric/Bat Dual.
Mirror Gold Base, Auto, Fabric, Bat.
Mirror Black Base, Auto, Fabric, Bat.
Mirror Blue Base Auto, Fabric, Bat

All of the cards have the same design and picture, just a different background color. Well today I present to you:
2005 Leaf Certified Materials
No. 12 Austin Kearns
Mirror Black Parallel Autograph
1/1

That's right! The only one made. I was lucky enough to win this card on ebay for $17 and shipping. I was glad to get it because it was the last card I needed from the autograph version to have one from each Mirror set. This is not a great card to scan but a nice card to see. The reflective surface holds up well and the design is not cluttered. For some reason I like when cards use lines and geometric shapes that blend well. Austin has a small signature overall and fits well on cards or stickers. The photo of Austin looks to be him getting ready to pounce on a line to right off the bat of Chipper. That was a sure out. Only right fielder better in the field is that Frenchy guy on the Braves. The cardboard junkie will be able to say more on that as I refuse to.